The Unknown Hero
by TJ Jordan
Summary: After the mysterious defeat of Lord Voldemort and the dismantle of the Death Eaters in 1976, Hogwarts celebrates a new era of peace with its very own Grand Wizard Tournament, choosing four Champions from each House to compete. However, one name chosen from the Goblet of Fire begins to unravel a series of mysteries - 3rd installment to my Severus Snape Series!
1. The Fourth Champion

**The Unknown Hero**

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 **This is going to be part of the _Severus Snape series_ that I am doing. I originally meant for it to be a trilogy, but the ideas have grown and I'm thinking of expanding to more stories instead of it just being a trilogy. My plans for _'The Infiltrator'_ have changed and is now being redeveloped until a new working title and a new story-idea that I have in mind.**

 **Anyway, this story is of an idea that I've been wanting to do for some time. Similar to _Redemption_ and also _The Mysterious Traveler_ , this does indeed have a story-arc involving Severus Snape leaving Hogwarts to pursue a new life, but this one is going to be a little different. For one, it will literally start after Severus has already left Hogwarts. I don't want to reveal too much, but it's an idea I've been wanting to do for quite a while now.**

 **I should mention that this story will have some similarities to another, recently-new story called ' _Rogue_ ' (written by: Snape-Doe-Patronus). I'm in no way stealing from that story. It just so happens to have a few similar plot-devices that I've been planning to use for this story. I totally recommend checking that story out when you get the chance, because it's really good. I guess you can say that it got my inspiration and motivation going.**

 **In speaking of inspiration, another story that is helping me in writing this is a fan-fic called ' _The Fourth Champion_ ' (written by: James Spookie). And I also recommending giving both this and his other stories a try.**

 **Anyway, I welcome those who are familiar work and those who are new.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter! This is just for fun!**

 **Please enjoy my newest Harry Potter fanfic (though technically it's a Severus Snape fanfic) and 3rd official installment to my _Severus Snape series_ , _'The Unknown Hero_ '!**

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 **Chapter One:**

 **The Fourth Champion**

* * *

The Great Hall filled with students and school staff as the announcement of the Champions were about to begin. The whole castle had been anticipating this day since the beginning of the school year. Bets had been placed on who would become the Champions for the Grand Hogwarts Wizard Tournament. Gossip and excitement filled the two months after Headmaster Albus Dumbledore first announced it to a very surprised audience of students.

As everyone took their seats on stands, Dumbledore immediately took his position by the Goblet of Fire that stood at the center of the Great Hall, which was covered by a golden cloak. The Goblet wasn't the original one that used for the Triwizard Tournament, but rather a new one that was personally made for Hogwarts's new proclaimed contest.

"Attention!" Dumbledore's voice echoed throughout the Great Hall, silencing the chattering of the students and the staff. "As I've stated at the beginning of this new school year, this is a very special time for us all. A time that promises peace and prosperity for all of the Wizarding World and other wizard cultures beyond our borders. It was not so long ago that we were faced with a dark reality."

Low whispering could be heard from different directions.

"Our world was on the verge of war. A war that threatened to take everything and everyone we held dear to us. I, myself, feared for our future."

He paused, letting the moment sink in for them all.

"But in our darkest moment, something unexpected happened, one that can only be described as a miracle. The very enemy, who threatened to destroy us, was defeated by an unknown hero."

The whole Great Hall erupted with cheers and cries of victory, even with a round of applause.

"And with the Dark Lord's _fall_ by this hero, the Ministry was able to fight back and destroy the Death Eaters."

The clapping and loud roar of cheers grew louder.

Smiling, Dumbledore raised his hand to silence them, "Yes, it is indeed a time of celebration. A time of happiness and optimism. Which brings us as to why we are here."

Grabbing ahold of the golden cloak, he pulled it off the newly made Goblet of Fire, which immediately began to burn red and orange, with fire igniting from the top.

Everyone stared at it in awe.

"For the very first time, Hogwarts will be hosting its own Wizarding Tournament, the first ever in the history of Hogwarts. Like the Triwizard Tournament, the contest will have three tasks, each one more difficult than the last. However, instead of there being three Champions, there will be four to represent each House of our great school. And like the Triwizard Tournament, the winner of this contest will not only win _Eternal Glory_ , but the Hogwarts Cup and a massive fortune."

The excitement from the students was radiating off of them as two staff members brought in the rainbow-like, glowing Hogwarts cup from the doorway, setting down in between the Headmaster and the Goblet.

"Let this be both a memorial and celebration of this new era for our world, to mark this special time for all of history to remember." He clapped his hands together. "Now, without further due, let's begin the selection process."

The Hall filled with excited cheers as everyone struggled to control themselves.

Approaching the Goblet, Dumbledore reached into the fire of the cup and pulled out a parchment, reading the name on it.

"Representing Ravenclaw, as the first chosen Champion, Kingsley Shacklebolt!"

From the Ravenclaw stands, Shacklebolt made his way towards Dumbledore, smiling as his housemates patted him on the back and cheered for him. Receiving the parchment, he shook the Headmaster's hand and was ledto a separate room outside of the Great Hall.

Pulling out a second parchment, Dumbledore announced, "Representing Hufflepuff, Amelia Bones!"

As the young Hufflepuff girl accepted her parchment and left, Dumbledore selected a third Champion that the Goblet had chosen and smiled as he read the results.

"Representing Gryffindor, none other than this year's Head Boy, James Potter!"

The entire Gryffindor suddenly stand came to life as the cheering and screams echoed throughout the Great Hall and beyond. Students began to surround the Head Boy and cheer his name. Three other boys patted him on the back and congratulated him. As he got up, a redhead girl with green eyes pulled him into a hug and whispered something into his ear.

Approaching the Headmaster, he shook his hand and accepted the paper.

"Congratulations, Mr. Potter," Dumbledore smiled with pride. "Make us proud!"

"Yes, sir!" the dark-haired teen replied with a smirk.

Before leaving the Hall, he turned towards the entire school and shouted, "FOR GRYFFINDOR!"

Everyone cheered once more, making the walls and stands shake.

Once calming everyone down, he reached into the Goblet for the final time and pulled out the parchment for the final Champion. The moment he read the name, his eyes widened and blinked, unable to believe his own eyes. He blinked again, hoping to Merlin that he was seeing things. But upon reading it for a third time, he found that his prayer went unfulfilled.

Not in a long time had something like this shocked the old Headmaster to his very core as he read the parchment one last time.

In his shocked state, realization slowly dawned on him that all of the student's attention was on him, waiting impatiently for the announcement of the final Champion for the Tournament. But even as he raised his eyes towards the students, he couldn't find the courage to speak. The very silence itself was growing too heavy, even for him.

Already the students were whispering amongst themselves, confused and/or worried about the expression that was on the Headmaster's face.

Clutching the paper in his hands, he signaled for the House Heads to follow him out of the Great Hall, leaving a very confused and slightly upset audience behind him. Even the Perfects were unsure of what was happening as they began to prepare for the wave of chaos that would follow.

Traveling down the hallway from the Great Hall, he entered the room where the other Champions were in and closed the door once all of the Heads of the Houses were inside.

"Albus, what's wrong? Why didn't you announce the final Champion?" demanded Minerva.

Dumbledore sighed and turned towards them, holding the parchment in his hands.

"Send the Champions back to the Great Hall," he announced. "We need to discuss this matter alone."

Though hesitant, the Heads nodded and motioned the Champions out of the room, ordering them to return to the Great Hall and wait there.

James Potter approached the Headmaster, "Sir, is there something I can do?"

Dumbledore offered a low smile, "No, my boy. There's no need. The Heads and I must address an unforeseen... _issue_. You can do me the favor of helping the Head Girl keep order in the Great Hall."

Nodding, the Gryffindor left the room as the doors closed behind him.

As the Heads of the Hogwarts Houses approached him, Dumbledore sighed and turned to look at them.

"Dumbledore, you're making us concerned," said Professor Sprout. "What is it that has you worried and pale?"

"Whose name came out of the Goblet?" Minerva asked.

"Surely one name can't be that concerning," Slughorn forced a smile on his face. "Unless of course, someone under the age of sixteen managed to get their name in."

Dumbledore shook his head as he began to pace around, "No, that's not the case, Horace."

Slughorn sighed with relief, "Well, that's a relief."

"Dumbledore, just tell us who the fourth Champion is!" Filius Flitwick demanded.

Taking a deep breath, he announced them, "The fourth Champion that the Goblet has chosen was... _Severus Snape._ "

They all gasped.

Handing the parchment over to them, each of the professors read the name before ending up back in Dumbledore's hand. Looking at the paper himself again, he read it once more.

 _Champion for House Slytherin: Severus Snape!_

"How is that possible, Dumbledore?" Minerva asked. "Severus Snape is dead."

"It has to be a prank," said Flitwick. "The Goblet can't choose anyone who is already dead. The binding magical contract would have been aware of his _passing_."

"Then the Goblet wouldn't have chosen him," Sprout argued. "And I highly doubt that this could have been a simple prank. It's one thing for someone to be strong enough to use the _Confundus Charm_ to get someone underage to be picked, but it's impossible for someone who is already dead to be chosen. No one can accomplish such a thing."

"So, what are you saying then, Mrs. Sprout?" Filius approached her, despite his size as he stared up into her eyes. "You can't possible mean that Severus Snape is still alive."

"That's preciously what I'm saying."

Meanwhile, Professor Slughorn was completely oblivious to the conversation that was going on in front of him. The voices sounded like distant echoes that barely reached him. His mind was lost in his own world, trying to comprehend that the name of his former student had come out of the Goblet and was possibly still alive.

"But we saw his body," countered Minerva.

"Very true, Minerva, we did indeed see his body," Dumbledore continued to pace around. "But we never officially saw his death."

"If he is truly still alive, then why haven't the Ministry found any evidence of his survival? The boy had no money or resources to survive on his own."

"Well, he was in the good graces of Lucius Malfoy. Maybe he helped him fake his death and go into hiding," Filius offered.

"If that were true, then we would have found him alongside the Death Eaters or at Lucius's manor when the Dark Lord fell. Malfoy is dead and any surviving members are locked away in Azkaban. Mr. Snape would never have left them if his death was indeed fake."

"Then maybe he wanted to get out of the Death Eaters and faked his death to do so."

"By what means? Mr. Malfoy would have never supported him in doing that. He would have needed other forms of help in accomplishing that."

Slughorn almost found himself crying as he listened to them, wanting to make them stop saying such accusations about his favorite student.

"I don't know how Mr. Snape did it, but this is proof that he is not dead," Dumbledore announced. "We need to tell the school and the Wizarding World about Severus Snape and send out a message for him to return to Hogwarts so that he may participate in the tournament. If he doesn't, his magical core will be affected by the binding magical contract and will never be able to perform magic again. He may even lose his very life."

"Is there no way for the boy to be left alone?" Slughorn asked. "Can't he be released from the binding contract?"

Dumbledore offered him a small smile before replying, "No, I'm sorry, Horace. But there is no other way. Severus Snape must return and participate. If he doesn't arrive by the time of the first task, then his magic and possibly his life are forfeit."

Slughorn sadly nodded.

"What about the students?" Minerva asked. "What should we tell them?"

Dumbledore sighed, "As mush as it pains me to say it, especially when this was supposed to be our way of celebrating Lord Voldemort's defeat-" Everyone flinched at the mention of the Dark Lord's name. "-I believe it is best we send them back to their dormitories and announce the fourth Champion tomorrow morning at breakfast. For right now, I need to make the necessary arrangements of telling the Wizarding World that one of our own is still alive and send a message that hopefully reaches him."

"And if he doesn't come?" Slughorn asked.

"Then he loses his magic and Slytherin forfeits the Tournament."

"Can't you just select another Champion for Slytherin?" Sprout asked.

The Headmaster shook his head, "Once the Goblet has chosen its Champions, there's no other way to select new ones."

Minerva raised an eyebrow, "Maybe next time we should place new security measures and rules to make sure we can get around such circumstances."

"Next time," Dumbledore nodded in agreement.

"One question bugs me," Filius rubbed his beard. "If Mr. Snape went through all the trouble in faking his death, then why was his name entered into the tournament?"

"I agree, it is backwards if his death was faked," Sprout nodded.

"I do not have the answers," Dumbledore sighed. "Maybe if and when he comes back, we can get them ourselves. But for now, let's focus on finding him and planning ahead for the Tournament this year."

Everyone nodded as they began to exit the room, with Slughorn following behind as he lost himself in his own thoughts. Never had he felt such joy and sadness at the same time.

As Dumbledore addressed the students and sent them to their Common Rooms early, the excitement that once filled the castle had reduced to confusion and disappointment. Once all the students were gone, Dumbledore went to his office and paced around his room, deep in thought. He had so many questions that ran through his mind, trying to make sense of everything.

Ever since the death of Voldemort, aka Tom Riddle, he got to experience an unusual amount of peace. He even looked forward to the new coming school year with optimism.

But with this revelation of Severus Snape still alive, he couldn't help but worry.

What would the boy's return mean and do? Where had he been this whole time? What has he been doing since his 'supposed' death? Why did he fake his death? What was the purpose of making everyone believe he was dead?

So many questions and there were more that were lining up.

Sitting down at his desk, he began to prepare for the news he was about to deliver to the Wizarding World, including the one he would have to address to the school as well.

* * *

In the Common Room of House Gryffindor, James Potter sat on the couch next to the fireplace with his three best friends, deep in conversation.

"So, Dumbledore didn't tell you what was going on, Prongs?" Sirius asked.

James shook his head, "All he said was that he needed to talk to the staff and that was it. But whatever it was that freaked him out, it definitely had to be serious."

Remus folded his hands together, "Could it be about who was named the Champion of Slytherin?"

Sirius smiled, "Bet it was my brother. The very thought that he was representing Slytherin was too much to bare."

"Oh, stop it, Padfoot," Remus rolled his eyes. "I'm sure your brother's name wasn't worth that much trouble."

"Good point. He definitely isn't worth anything."

"But it has to be something... right?" James stared into the fireplace.

Lily Evans appeared, smiling down at them, "Hey, you ready to go?"

James smiled back and stood up, "Sure."

"See you guys in the morning," Lily waved as they walked to the exit of the Common Room.

Sirius, Remus and Peter waved back, smiling at the two of them.

"I give them a month before they start dating," Sirius announced.

"Don't play matchmaking, Padfoot! Lily isn't just some other _conquest_ that you and James have been doing since fifth year."

"Oh, come on, Moony. You know it's going to happen between them. Just too bad I never got the chance to date her."

"Prongs would have killed you if you did."

"Very true. Which makes me a smart man."

"More like lucky, if ask me."

* * *

After doing their official duties for the evening, both Lily and James made their way back to the Head Boy and Head Girl Common Room, ready to retire for the night. Though James was doing most of the talking, Lily took the advantage to ask him about what happened with Dumbledore earlier.

"So, you have no idea why the Headmaster was so worked up?" she asked.

"Nope. All he said was that he needed to speak to the staff and had us leave."

"Do you think it has something to do with the fourth Champion?"

"I do. And to be honest, I'm hoping the Goblet decided to choose no one to compete for House Slytherin."

Lily gasped, " _James Potter_! How could you say such a thing?!"

James raised his arms, "I'm just saying. It would seem like poetic justice if that's the case. Everyone knows they did nothing to stop You-Know-Who. I even bet all of them couldn't wait to join him when he was causing trouble."

As she opened her mouth to protest, she immediately closed it, unable to disagree.

"Do you think they'll find out who killed him?"

"Who?"

"He-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named."

James remained silent as he thought about the question, debating with himself.

"I don't know. What surprises me is that the person hasn't revealed himself yet. Some are saying whoever did it was killed in revenge by the Death Eaters."

"I hope not. I would like to thank the person who saved us from You-Know-Who. It's because of he or she that allowed for me and my friends to be able to look forward to a better future."

James smiled, "Okay, let's pretend that you did meet this person and it turned out to be a _he..._ would you kiss him?"

Lily raised an eyebrow and laughed, "Oh, you are really desperate, aren't you?"

"Come on, you can tell me."

Lily's face turned red as her hair, "If this person was male, then yes. I would kiss him for saving us."

"Then would you believe me if I said I was that person?" he asked, sheepishly.

Lily laughed, "I would sooner slap you on the face and call you a liar."

"Oh, come on, you know you want to."

"Nope!"

"Ah!"

It amazed Lily how she was able to tolerate the Marauder more than she used to. Or rather her lack of tolerance she once had before their final year started. But ever since he had become Head Boy, there was a slight change in the Gryffindor, one that caught her attention as she noticed the humility he was taking from this job.

 _Probably the first job he's ever had,_ she thought.

They walked in silence for a little while longer before James spoke again.

"Okay, so... I've been meaning to ask you something?"

"Hmm?" she looked at him.

"Please don't get mad at me, I'm just curious..." He took a deep breath. "Do you... miss _him_?"

Lily's heart skipped a beat as she slowed down, trying hard not to think.

"Potter... I'm... I'm not ready to talk about... him..."

James nodded, sadly.

As they continued in awkward silence, they entered the Common Room for Head Boy and Girl, the two got their stuff sorted out for the next following day before preparing heading to bed.

"Well, I'll see you in the morning," James yawned.

"See you..." she stopped mid-way through the door before turning slightly. "James?"

"Yeah," he turned towards her, a look of hope on his face.

"Congrats on being chosen as Champion," she quickly shut her door and got into her pajamas as she climbed into her bed. Tears fell from her eyes, soaking the pillow sheet, as she struggled to keep her mind focused on anything else except the boy that kept haunting her. Even in her dreams she couldn't escape him. A fate worse than when he was alive.

* * *

 **What did you guys think? I'm hoping it was a nice start to a new story. This is an idea I've been wanting to do for quite a while. Just been a little lazy and tried to get it going. I bet the idea has been done before, with the Wizard Tournament taking place during the Marauders era, but it's one that hasn't been done to death yet.**

 **The next few chapters will reveal more about where this story is going to go, but I won't give anything away. I have plans and I'm hoping they work out.**

 **Just a fair warning, this will not be a big, developed story like _Redemption_ or _The Mysterious Traveler_. So, there won't be really big twists or turns, or any big-time developments. It probably won't even really be that long (though that could change). I just plan for it to be straight-forward.**

 **For those who don't know, this is part of a _Severus Snape series_ I am doing. It was originally just supposed to be a trilogy, but I'm making it bigger now. The other two stories that are up are: _Redemption_ and _The Mysterious Traveler._ Give them a try if you're interested.**

 **One last thing to address, this is going to be a full-on AU story (as in, alternate universe). With _Redemption_ , I wanted to do a _as-close-to-canon-as-possible_ story, but it ended up not working out because of the restrictions, and I've long since left it behind for a more AU approach. While in canon it is never started what House Kingsley Shacklebolt or Amelia Bones were in, or what year they were born, I'm making them sixth years and sixteen years old in this story. Also, Sprout and Filius Flitwick are Head of their Houses from the Harry Potter canon in this. It was never specifically said who were the Head of Houses in Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff during the Marauders era, so I went them again.**

 **For those wondering what year this story/first chapter takes place in, it's October 31, 1976.**

 **Please leave a review and I'll see you guys in Chapter 2!**


	2. Back From The Dead

**The Unknown Hero**

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 **Hey guys! I didn't mean to write this next chapter this early, but I was in the mood and I had the time. So I figured why not get this one out.**

 **Have to admit, I'm surprised by how many people like this story. Appreciate the support! :)**

 **Enjoy chapter 2! ;)**

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 **Chapter Two:**

 **Back From The Dead**

* * *

As Dumbledore made his way to the Great Hall, he found himself feeling fascinated and wary of the what he was about to do. He had no idea what to expect after his announcement to the students was done. The gossip would start and attention would turn to the possibility of the return of a student who was believed to be dead. Questions would rise, ones he had no answers for. The only information he did know and could share was that Severus Snape was alive and was expected to participate in the first ever Grand Hogwarts Wizard Tournament.

And there was still the wizard media to worry about.

The news about the four chosen Champions were already sent in for the Wizarding World to read about, including who the Slytherin Champion was. Meaning that one way or another, the students were about to find out. As much as he had his doubts and fears, the Headmaster had no choice but to follow through with the announcement.

Taking his seat at the staff table, alongside the teachers and Heads of Houses, he prepared himself for the long day that would follow.

Students began filling the tables in the Hall, arriving extra earlier than usual. It wasn't long before the whole school was there, their attention solely on him.

Knowing the reason why, he stood up and addressed them, "Good morning, students. I know that all of you are confused and even a little upset about the events of last night, and as such, I'll get straight to the point. The Goblet of Fire had selected a fourth Champion for the Tournament, something that was expected and eagerly anticipated. However, the name of the selected was what ultimately concerned me. A great concern that needed to be discussed with the Heads in privacy. In need of more time to prepare for the unforeseen situation, I thought it was best to announce the Champion this morning."

Whispering immediately began among the students.

Dumbledore sighed, "The name of the fourth Champion selected to represent House Slytherin was... _Severus Snape!_ "

The name echoed off the walls of the Great Hall, taking a moment to sink in for everyone there. Eyes widened as the whispering began once more, even a few shouting in the background from shock at the revelation. At the Gryffindor table, four boys looked as if they had seen a ghost, food falling out the smallest one's mouth. The Head Girl went pale and looked as if she had went into a coma-like state at hearing the name, receiving worried looks from her fellow friends.

Dumbledore raised his hand to silence the commotion, "I know that everyone here was under the impression that Severus Snape had died the last school year. I, myself, believed it to be true. But the Goblet of Fire wouldn't have chosen him if he was dead, therefore meaning that the Slytherin is still alive. I've already let the media know and have asked them to put out a message for him to please return to Hogwarts as soon as possible."

He sighed in relief, happy to have gotten that out of the way.

"But whether or not Mr. Snape returns to us is yet to be seen. For now, lets not let this information sour what is supposed to be a celebration of a new, hopeful future. I would like for the Champions who are currently here to present themselves before the Great Hall, in front of the staff table."

James Potter, Amelia Bones and Kingsley Shacklebolt made their way to the front of the Hall, receiving a round of applause and cheers from the audience.

Dumbledore approached them and stood to the side, smiling.

"It is with great honor to officially introduce the Champions who will be competing in the Grand Hogwarts Wizard Tournament. While these brave wizards will be facing dangerous trials on their own, they will be helping our society heal and move on from the wounds of our past. Let this be a year for all to remember for all generations. Let them be a reminder that we are strong when we are united together as one."

Everyone clapped and cheered at the Headmaster's words. A few Gryffindors chanted Potter's name with passion.

Returning to their tables, Dumbledore ended the announcement and allowed the students to eat before their classes for the day. Though having conversations with his fellow staff members, his mind wandered elsewhere. Thoughts full about the missing Slytherin who seemed to haunt a day that was supposed to be peaceful.

* * *

At the Slytherin table, fifth year Regulus Black was left dumbstruck by the news of who the fourth Champion was. Time flew by him as he stared, blankly at the empty plate in front of him. And he wasn't the only one either. Many other Slytherins, from fifth to seventh, were awkwardly silent, with only the younger years going on about their business like as if everything was usual.

Slowly getting himself together, Regulus ate a little bit of the food to keep his strength up for the classes and left early for his first period of Charms.

However, just as he was out of the Great Hall, he felt a hand grab him by the shoulder and forced to walk a little ways before being shoved into an empty classroom. Turning around, he came face to face with James Potter and Sirius Black.

"What do you want?!" Regulus hissed.

Sirius rolled his eyes, "Just curious if you know anything about what is going on with Snivellus being alive and all. Because last time we checked, he was dead."

"Why do you care? Him being dead should be a dream come true for you."

James chuckled, "Well, having a little peace and quiet does help, but I wouldn't wish him dead."

"You I can believe, considering you prefer bullying your victims, but my brother-"

"What's that supposed to be mean?!" Sirius growled.

"I think you know what I mean," he smirked. "And to answer your question, I don't know anything that's going on with Snape or the Tournament. In case if you haven't noticed, he was believed to be dead."

"Except he isn't dead."

Regulus felt his heart race, bringing up his _Occlumency walls_ to keep himself from losing control, using his anger for his brother to keep focus.

"I don't know how Snape's name came out of the Goblet or who put it in there. I'm just as clueless as you are. There, now you have your answers! Goodbye, hope to never run into either of you again."

He quickly walked to the door, only to find Sirius's arm against it, refusing to let him out.

"How do I know you're not lying?"

Regulus sneered at him, "You can't. But if you want answers, then I suggest asking Snape himself, when he comes back. Assuming he does come back, that is."

Removing his arm out of the way, Regulus left the classroom as fast as he could, trying to put the encounter out of his head.

 _Well, that was not what I was expecting when I woke up this morning._

* * *

Throughout the entire day, Lily's mind was stuck on only one thing... the fading image of Severus Snape _._ The moment Headmaster Dumbledore announced he was to be the fourth Champion and that he was alive, her heart literally stopped. Her mind couldn't focus as the realization settled in for her. Her best friend- no, ex-best friend was still alive. After so many months of believing him to be dead, he was still alive.

Never before had she felt so confused by how she was supposed to feel. So many different emotions ran through her at once, making it difficult to understand if she was supposed to feel relieved, happy, sad, upset, angry, or any of them combined. The only thing she knew was that Sev- no, Snape was alive and that he was coming back to Hogwarts. A fact that both terrified and excited her all at once.

Memories about how he _supposedly_ died came back to her. The months of crying herself to sleep after learning of his death. The feeling of regret that filled her heart. It took a while before she managed to get through the grief, but the pain still remained whenever she was reminded on him in any way. The young boy who almost lost himself to the Dark Arts and the Death Eaters. At first, she thought his death prevented him from crossing over to the Slytherin side, but after the Dark Lord's death and the Death Eater's annihilation, she couldn't help but wonder if he had lived that maybe he would have changed. A hopeful feeling that remained her it was only a dream in her mind.

But now she was being told that Severus Snape wasn't dead. That he was still out there, somewhere. A realization that sent chills throughout her body.

"Are you going to be alright, Lily?" a voice echoed through her eyes, like sound down a tunnel.

Coming back to reality, Lily shook her head and turned to face one of her friends, Mary MacDonald.

"Um, yeah, I'm fine."

Mary continued to look at her with concern, "It's just that you've been acting... well, different... ever since the announcement..."

Though slightly irritated, Lily kept her voice gentle and kind, "It was a surprise and shock to me as well... I'm just... I'm just trying to process that he's still... alive..."

Mary nodded, though not entirely convinced. Looking over to the girl on the other side of Lily, she raised her eyes as a signal for help.

Marlene McKinnon sighed, "I think what Mary is trying to say is that if you ever need comfort or help in any way, we're here for you."

Lily smiled and nodded, "I appreciate that, thank you."

Returning their attention to their Defense Against The Dark Arts books.

"By the way, Alice and Frank are now engaged," Marlene announced.

Both Mary and Lily turned towards her with wide eyes, speaking at the same time, "What?!"

"Yep. Alice wrote me last night. They were going to wait a little longer, back when things were not going so well with... you know, the Dark Lord and his evil homicidal minions. But now that they're gone and things have calmed down, they decided not to wait any longer."

"Did they set a date yet?" Lily asked.

"During the Christmas holidays, so that we can be there."

"I'm so excited!" Mary squealed. "I want to help her pick out the right dress."

"Oh no!" Lily laughed. "I'm not letting you anywhere near the dresses. You literally take up an entire day's worth of school work just to pick out one perfect outfit for a simple date."

"Hey, I can be a picky person, don't judge me!"

"Um, guys, tone it down," Marlene nodded towards the DADA professor, who was looking their way.

Remaining quiet for a while, they resumed when the professor resumed his paperwork at his desk.

"You know, I miss the Defense teacher from last year," Marlene whispered.

"Yeah, he sure was hot," Mary agreed, licking her lips.

Lily and Marlene raised an eyebrow at her.

"You do realize that there was our teacher right? Not to mention old enough to be your father."

"Doesn't mean I can't look. But if I could have my way with him... oh boy!"

" _And_ we're changing the subject," Marlene quickly announced. "What is happening between you and James, Lily?"

Taken back, she replied, "Oh, um, nothing... is happening."

Mary raised her eyebrows and chuckled, "Yeah, right. A beautiful girl, such as yourself, and a hot, pick-pack Quidditch chaser like James Potter, are doing _nothing_ in the Head Boy and Girl Common Room."

"I'm seriously," Lily blushed.

"Yeah, I highly doubt you're... _Sirius._ "

Lily snorted, "You did not just make that clichéd joke."

"I did. And I'm also running the cliché of hot boy and beautiful girl getting it on in the bedroom."

"Marlene, please save me! This girl has been reading too much smut."

"Who said I was reading about it?" Mary winked.

Both girls blushed and giggled, almost getting the attention of those in front of them.

"Alright, enough making Lily feeling uncomfortable," Marlene calmed herself. "But seriously, we're begging to know... is there a chance that the _Golden Couple of Gryffindor_ might actually happen?"

Lily sighed, "I don't know. I mean... I won't lie that I've gotten to like James more now. I really think that this Head Boy position is teaching him responsibility and humility. He's becoming more mature. And yes, even I must admit that he's handsome and... kinda hot too."

"Have you seen him without his shirt?" Mary asked, eyes wide with intrigue.

"Mary!" Marlene glared at her. "Your ruining the moment."

Lily brushed as she replied, "Actually... there was this one time I accidently saw him without his shirt..."

Mary's mouth dropped. "Details! Right now!"

Marlene rolled her eyes, "If our parents could hear us, they would be putting soap into our mouths."

"Well, they aren't here now, are they?! And to be honest, only hypocrites would react that way. But anyway, getting back on track. James Potter, no shirt, details! Go!"

Lily laughed at her friends and found herself blushing as red as her hair.

"It wasn't like I was expecting to, I just saw him changing and his door was open. And he did indeed have a very muscular, six-pack body," she paused, lost in memory.

"Did he see you?"

Shaking herself out of the memory, she replied, "No, he didn't. I left before he noticed me."

"Oh, such an anticlimactic way to end that story," Mary whined.

Marlene rolled her eyes, "But you are beginning to like him, right? I can't help but wonder if this is the year it finally happens. Will you take him up on a date? He's been surprisingly patient with you ever since Snape die- Oh!" Her eyes widened at realizing her mistake before it was too late.

Lily's smile faded as the memory of greasy black-haired Slytherin entered her mind.

"Oh, Lily, I'm so sorry," Marlene touched her wrist. "I didn't mean to..."

She shook her head, "It's fine. I guess I never... really gotten over it."

Mary nodded, "Maybe you can put the past to rest when he comes back. Make peace and move on. There's nothing wrong with that, Lily."

The redhead nodded, wiping the tears from her eyes, "Yeah, I know. I'm just not sure if I'm ready to face him again."

Marlene smiled sadly at her, taking her hand to comfort her, "Just know that you don't have to do it alone. We'll be there to back you up."

Lily smiled and nodded, "Thanks guys."

Smiling back, they resumed their studying for the remainder of the period.

* * *

As the day came to an end, Dumbledore stood at the top of the Astronomy Tower, enjoying sight of the sun as it settled over the horizon. The wind blowing against him as he took pleasure in it and savored the peace around him.

Ever since the end of the Death Eaters' campaign, the old Headmaster found himself coming to the Astronomy Tower more often. At the end of everyday, he would stand at the top floor and watch the sunset in silence. Where others might see such a thing as boring and a waste of time, it was everything to the old wizard. It was almost as if he could feel the weight of the world be lifted off his shoulders for a small period of time. A way to escape the hardships.

If there was any place in the world he would be satisfied in dying, it would be right there.

Holding a copy of the Daily Prophet in his hands, he re-read the front pages of the newspaper:

* * *

 _ **HOGWARTS SCHOOL OF WITCHCRAFT AND WIZARDRY OFFICIALLY STARTS IT'S FIRST EVER GRAND WIZARD TOURNAMENT**_

 _ **IN CELEBRATION OF THE DEFEAT OF 'HE-WHO-SHALL-NOT-BE-NAMED'!**_

 _ **/**_

 _ **NEWLY-MADE GOBLET OF FIRE SELECTS ITS FOUR CHAMPIONS FOR THE TOURNAMENT:**_

 ** _1._** _ **Champion for Gryffindor: James Potter**_

 ** _2\. Champion for Ravenclaw:_** _ **Kingsley Shacklebolt**_

 _ **3\. Champion for Hufflepuff: Amelia Bones**_

 _ **4\. Champion for Slytherin: Severus Snape**_

* * *

 _ **CHAMPION OF SLYTHERIN, SEVERUS SNAPE, BACK FROM THE DEAD?**_

 _ **/**_

 ** _MINISTRY OF MAGIC CALLS FOR NATION-WIDE SEARCH_**

 ** _FOR FORMER/BELIEVED-TO-BE-DEAD HOGWARTS STUDENT_**

* * *

 ** _MESSAGE FROM HEADMASTER ALBUS DUMBLEDORE FOR SEVERUS SNAPE:_**

 ** _/_**

 ** _To Severus Snape,_**

 ** _If you are reading this, I must implore you to please contact me or anyone in the Ministry of Magic. It is with great urgency that you return to Hogwarts and participate in the Tournament, or else the consequences will be devastating. If not for yourself, then do it for your House. Please make it in time before the First Task on Friday, November 19._**

 ** _Sincerely,_**

 ** _Albus Dumbledore_**

* * *

Rolling up the newspaper, Dumbledore sighed as he looked back up towards the horizon, just catching the sun in time as it disappeared.

"Where are you?" he whispered against the wind as the darkness of the night started to take over.

* * *

 **Special thanks to those who are leaving reviews and/or adding this story to their alert/favorite sections (or both). Please keep 'em coming!**

 **I can't promise a specific timeline of when these chapters will be uploaded, but I can promise that I won't be giving up on this story. I plan on finishing this series I want to do. I have plans involving all of them.**

 **I apologize for any grammar errors in this. I try to go through it, but I'm not that great of an editor (sadly).**

 **Anyway, I'll see you guys in Chapter 3! Hope you enjoyed this one! :)**


	3. Unforeseen Trouble

**The Unknown Hero**

* * *

 **I'm back with a new chapter. I actually can't believe how easy it is to write this one. I hope it stays like this for the rest of the writing process.**

 **Anyway, thank you to everyone for leaving reviews. It really means a lot to me.**

 **Special thanks to reader, _neilin,_ for the private message you sent me. It really did make my day. Thank you. :)**

 **As usual, disclaimer: "I do not own Happy Potter (though I wish I did)!"**

 **Please enjoy chapter 3!**

* * *

 **Chapter Three:**

 **Unforeseen Trouble**

* * *

As night fell over the castle of Hogwarts, Regulus Black waited until the hour was just right for him to make his move. He carefully made his way out of the Slytherin Common Room, quietly climbing up to the seventh floor. Though it was tough, he managed to void anyone on patrol, especially Filch. Once there, he walked down a hallway three times, focusing hard on what he needed to do.

 _I need to get to the Vanishing Cabinet! I need to get to the Vanishing Cabinet! I need to get to the Vanishing Cabinet!_

Right on cue, an visible doorway appeared before him.

Wasting no time, he walked on through and came before a large room, quickly rushing towards a very large cabinet, stepping on inside. Once the door was closed, he whispered, " _Harmonia Nectere Passus_!"

Waiting a few seconds, he emerged from the tiny box and found himself in a very large dark room of some sorts.

" _Lumos,_ " his wand lit up the room, finding the exit.

Walking up to the door, he found it locked and cursed himself in frustration. As he prepared to do the _unlocking charm_ , he was met with surprise when the door flew open and came face to face with a woman in a black nightgown, blond hair messed up and a hand gripping his robes by the neck. Along with a strange looking knife that was inches away from his throat.

The woman glared at him, ready for a fight, despite how tired she looked. But her anger receded at recognizing him, sighing with relief.

"Regulus?! What the bloody hell are you doing here?! Especially at this time at night?!"

Regulus gulped and looked at the knife that was still too close for comfort.

"Mind removing that thing? One cut will turn me to dust, you know."

Rolling her eyes, she let go of him and slid the knife back onto the holster that was on her upper thigh.

"Needs to be a deep cut in the chest, neck or head. One small cut don't do anything. Though, I'm willing to test it out... for waking me at one in the bloody morning!"

Regulus offered a sympathetic smile as he followed her into a living room on the other side of the door.

"Why are you here, Regulus?" the woman asked, grabbing a glass bottle of wine from the counter and pouring herself a drink.

Getting himself together, he replied, "I need to talk to Severus."

The woman shook her head as drank the entire cup at once, "Not going to happen. He's off-world."

"He's always off-world! But I still need to speak with him!"

"Calm down, Regulus," the woman sat down on one of her comfy couches. "If you really need to speak with him that badly, then I'll send a message. But I can't guarantee that he'll be here within the next few days. Something major has come up."

"Like what?"

"Something that isn't for you to know and I probably shouldn't have told you that much, considering your teenage mind can't handle the shit that he's already gone through."

"Whatever! But seriously, I really do need to speak with him."

"What about then?!" the woman glared at him. "And it better be important, or else I'm throwing you back into that cabinet, and going back to my comfortable bed."

Regulus moaned in frustration, "Alright, fine. Long story made short, my school is doing a tournament and they just chose the candidates last night."

"As much as I'm interested in your people's version of _tournaments,_ I'm not seeing how this is important."

"Just shut up and listen! I'm not done yet."

The woman smiled as she motioned for him to continue.

"Four candidates were chosen, each representing the Houses of Hogwarts."

"Get to the point already!"

"And Severus's name was drawn as one of those four candidates!"

Silence followed as the woman's eyes widened and turned to Regulus, face pale.

"You're sure?"

He nodded, "It's already been announced this morning. The entire Wizarding World knows that he's alive. Even my school's Headmaster sent out a message for him to return to Hogwarts and compete in the tournament."

"And I'm betting there's a reason why he can't just sit this one out and let everyone think it was a hoax, is there?"

Regulus nodded again, "The tournament has a magical binding contract with whoever is chosen. In other words, this contract holds them to the tournament with the threat of taking away their magic. There have been cases where others have lost their lives because of it too."

"You know, your people are more brutal and savage than you appear. This is Roman shit that your people are pulling with this stuff!"

"And that's the least of our problems."

"Oh, really?" the woman scoffed. "Because apparently, that wasn't enough trouble for us to deal with."

"Think about it! It's obvious someone put his name in and was powerful enough to make sure he was chosen, meaning someone is trying to make him come out of hiding."

The woman straightened her back as she leaned up on the couch, deep in thought.

"You're afraid someone might be looking for revenge."

"Makes sense. What else could it be?"

"I can think of a few other theories."

"Care to share?"

The woman sighed and fell back against the cushions, only for her eyes to widen.

"I have an idea!"

Regulus raised an eyebrow, "You do?"

"Yep!" she got up and walked out of the living room. "If I catch you peeking, I'll cut off your _wand_ and feed it to you!" she called out before slamming her bedroom down shut.

Gulping, Regulus made sure to stay away from the bedroom door, trying to focus on something else.

A moment later, the door opened again and the same woman appeared, this time dressed in a red and blue shirt, a pair of jeans and a purse on her shoulder.

"Alright, let's go!" she announced, heading towards a hallway.

Regulus rushed to keep up, following her into another room.

"Where are we going?" he asked.

"To see someone who can help us," she answered.

Turning his attention to what they were walking towards, he saw a machine of some sorts, with two curving sides that made a circle, but with nothing on the other side, except the wall. The woman went to a panel and placed her hand on the black screen, a series of lights making a handprint of it. A second later, she took out her knife and placed it into a input that matched its corners, twisting it half-way. And suddenly, a bright screen of light appeared before them.

He watched as she entered something in and heard an invisible female voice respond, speaking a language he couldn't make out.

The circular machine came to life and a thin layer of blue and white light appeared in the center. It was something that he could never really get used to.

"Are we going to see him?" he asked.

The woman shook her head as she removed her knife from the input panel and stood beside him.

"No. Like I said, I can't reach him right now. But having studied your world, I think I know how to gain us some time and distract whoever is behind this."

"Then, who are we going to see?"

The woman smirked, "You'll see. Get ready."

"Oh, trust me, I'm never ready when it comes to this."

Preparing himself, both he and the woman stepped on through the bright light, becoming engulfed by it as they disappeared.

* * *

 **Ahah! Cliffhanger! Don't you just love these?**

 **Sorry for the chapter being short. It just felt right to end it like it did.**

 **I should warn you that I do plan on taking this story in a different direction than what you maybe thinking. But I won't reveal exactly what I mean by that. Like I said before, I had an idea that I've always wanted to do ever since turning this into a series.**

 **Just to clarify something, some of you have been writing to me about being confused about my Severus Snape stories being part of a trilogy, but yet have their own separate story and a different Severus Snape. I can't reveal anything, but I can promise you that there is a connection. Other than that, you'll just have to keep reading. ;)**

 **Once again, thank you for the awesome reviews and please keep 'em coming.**

 **I'll see you guys in Chapter 4!**


	4. The Book of Severus Snape

**The Unknown Hero**

* * *

 **Hey guys! I apologize for the wait on this next update. I meant to get to work on it as soon as possible, but I've been busy (as usual). I am trying to stick to trying to get as many of these chapters out as I possibly can. Because this is a surprisingly easy story to write. But don't get any ideas, just because it's easier to write doesn't mean I don't run into long hours of writing and editing (both of which I do alone).**

 **Special thanks to those who have left reviews. It means a lot to me! :)**

 **I won't spoil anything, I promise. I just want to warn you that this story will have some twists and turns along the way. Nothing major, but it will take different directions along the way.**

 **Enjoy chapter 4! :)**

* * *

 **Chapter Four:**

 **The Book of Severus Snape**

* * *

Regulus's sight was binding by the bright light as both he and the woman stepped on through the machine. Closing his eyes, he felt the warmth of the light as it engulfed him and the presence of a deadly silence that sent chills down his spine.

Daring to open them again, he found himself in a large room, surrounded by concrete walls and cold air, making him shiver. He wrapped his arms around himself in an attempt to get warm.

The woman walked to the side and approached a similar panel to the one from her place. Using her knife and her hand to confirm her identity, the machine powered down and the light disappeared. Satisfied, she looked around and found a couple of fur coats, picking two of them.

"Where... are we?" Regulus asked, struggling to keep his words straight as he fought against the cold atmosphere.

Handing him a coat, which he immediately put on, she replied, "Ever wonder what your world would be like if magic and magical creatures were on the brink of extinction? Or how the Medieval times were like?"

Regulus could only shake his head as his teeth began to chat together.

The woman smiled as she put her coat on, almost oblivious to how cold it actually was.

"How... can you... stand... the..."

The woman chuckled at his inability to finish his sentence.

"When your born in a land that is always winter, it becomes apart of you. Like an old friend... Or an old enemy, who you so happen to tolerate."

Approaching the doorway, she pulled it open and was met with a strong wind that blew inside, hitting them with full force of extreme cold.

"Come on!" she grabbed ahold of him and forced him outside, closing the door as they made their way across high levels of snow in their way, blinded by a storm. Keeping a firm grip on him, they made their way from the small cabin they exited and immediately found themselves in front of a large stone house that came out of nowhere.

Banging on the door a couple of times, the entrance was cracked opened by a hidden figure, staring at them with suspicion.

"Who goes there?!" an elderly woman's voice called out.

The younger woman smiled, "Come now, Jeyne. Don't you recognize me?"

The elderly woman rolled her eyes and scoffed, "Alys! I should have know!"

"It's Jessica now, thank you! If you would be so kind, please us let us in. I would hate to run over you to escape this damn cold."

The door opened up, allowing them to rush in as the wind followed them. Once the door slammed shut, the elderly woman known as Jeyne turned to face them, her facial expression hard to read.

"You're not dressed properly for this whether."

Jessica nodded as she approached the fireplace with Regulus, trying to get warm.

"I figured you would be able to warm us."

The old woman reached into her robes and pulled out a wand, whispering a spell to warm the room so more.

"Why are you here?" Jeyne demanded as she put away her wand.

Jessica approached her, "We need help in performing an... _ancient spell_."

"We do?" Regulus raised an eyebrow at her, curious and confused. "I thought we were here to get help in locating Severus. In fact, you didn't even answer me about where this place is."

Jeyne offered a small smile, "So, you brought a wizard with you. How would our _bosses_ feel about that?"

"I'm sure Derick would allow for an exception. After all, he took Severus under his wing."

"Only because he has a weak spot when it comes to him."

"Don't act like you and Severus are the exception. Many other wizards have joined our order in the past. Regulus is just an ally who is helping me at the moment."

Jeyne's eyes widened as she turned her attention to the young wizard, studying him over with admiration.

"Regulus Black? As in one of the heirs to House Black?"

"You know about me?" Regulus asked, surprised by her interest.

"Only in legend. Or should I say, legends."

" _Getting_ back on track," Jessica rolled her eyes. "Something has happened on the world he comes from. You remember the Triwizard Tournament?"

"I remember reading about it back when I was a Ravenclaw."

"Well, on his, they were doing a _Hogwarts-only_ version of it and one of the chosen players so happened to be Severus."

Jeyne's facial expression betrayed a hint of concern and worry, "You're certain?"

Jessica nodded, "Regulus filled me in on the details. Someone purposely put his name into the Goblet of Fire and now everyone there knows he's alive."

"Could it be _them_?"

"Wouldn't surprise me. But one thing is for sure, Severus needs to return to his world and participate. Or else he risks losing his magic and possibly his life."

"And they still haven't made the damn changes to the stupid tournament rules. There are times when I really do believe they don't care about the lives of the students."

"Kinda ironic, considering you left one dangerous world for an even more dangerous one."

"Says the woman who left her world behind to fight a war that wasn't hers."

"At the very least they care about me more than my own people did and that I get to enjoy life in a world that isn't ruled by tyrants or mad kings."

"For your information, the current king has changed this world for the better since the Great War. At least here, people are more understanding and respectful of each other than where I was born."

Regulus watched in awe as the two women went at it in their argument, eyes glued to one another in a grand stare-down.

Jessica sighed as she backed down, releasing her anger, "I'm not here to argue. I'm here for your help."

Jeyne raised an eyebrow at her, "And how exactly can I help? Seems to me that the answer is to find Severus and alert him of the situation. I don't know where he is and I'm sure no spell can locate him. In case if you've forgotten, I'm just a guardian of the Portal."

"I'm not talking about finding him. At least, not right now. I need you to perform an ancient dark spell."

"What kind of _dark spell_?"

Jessica took a deep breathe before she declared, " _A Blood-Book Spell!"_

The elderly woman's eyes shot open with shock, taking a step backwards.

"Alys, I don't believe that's wise-"

"I know! I know! It's an invasion of privacy-"

"It's more than just an invasion of privacy!" Jeyne's angry voice echoed around the room. "You and I both know about Severus Snape's life! You're talking about exposing his darkest moments for all to see-" She stopped abruptly, eyes widening to a realization. "You selfish bitch! So that's what your plan is, isn't it?!"

"I'm doing this to make them understand! To reveal to them that they have Severus all wrong! Especially _her_!"

"Did it ever occur to you that Severus would have told them?!"

"We all know that he wouldn't have it in him! He would have cut it to his usual _'don't need their pity'_ excuse as a reason not to tell them! He's coming back to his world no matter what! And I want them all to see him for the person I've come to see him as. As Derick has too."

Jeyne scoffed, "You're doing this to shove it into their faces. To make them feel terrible for Severus. This is nothing more than just a revenge plot."

"And what if it is?! James Potter, Albus Dumbledore, Sirius Black, Lily Evans, and everyone in that damn school deserve to see what they have done to him! To see the damaged boy they left for the Dark Lord and his Death Eaters to twist up!"

"Severus made mistakes as well. Even he has admitted that."

"And I'm not saying he hasn't. What I am saying is that I need you to do this spell and allow for Severus's story to be told to them."

"And that's the problem you're not seeing, Alys!" Jeyne was now inches away from her, face red with anger. "It's _his_ story, not yours! You're asking me to create a _Blood-Book_ without his consent. And even I was in agreement, I still need a sample of his blood for the spell to work."

Sighing, Jessica reached into her purse and pulled out a small glass bottle that contained blood within.

Jeyne shook her head in disbelief, "Of course you would have prepared for this. No matter what, this has always been your plan."

"I need you to do this. Don't make me use desperate measures, Millie."

"Don't call me that!" Jeyne's eyes lit up with anger. "Don't you ever call me that!"

Jessica nodded as she let the anger subside, choosing her next words very carefully, "Remember Queenscrown? Well, I'm officially calling that favor in. Right here, right now."

Letting out a huff, Jeyne stared at her as she considered her decision before declaring, "If I do this, we are even!"

Jessica nodded again, "Understood."

Snatching the bottle out of her hand, she turned away and walked to the other side of the stone house, beginning to grab certain materials from the cabinets of the kitchen and setting them on the wooden table.

Regulus walked up beside Jessica, dumbstruck as to what he had seen and heard.

"Mind telling me what all of that was about?" he asked.

Jessica shook her head, "Ancient history that is being put to rest at long last. As to the spell she's about to do, it's an ancient dark spell that is very rare. Only those who have dived the deepest into the Dark Arts know about it."

"Which is?"

"A _Blood-Book Spell._ A book that is made from the blood of who it is about. Focus the spell on any part of their life, it tells it in detail from their perspective."

Regulus's eyes widened, "But... that means..."

"Severus's story is about to be made into a book before our very eyes."

"We can't do this! It isn't right to turn Sev's life into a literature novel."

"Says the guy who almost joined a gang of murderous Nazi-like wizards."

"And was saved by Severus, who I am potentially about to betray if I let you do this."

Jessica sighed, "Disagree if you want, but this is happening."

"We should be trying to find him and warn him about what is going on. How does this help?"

"It'll give us more time against whoever put Severus's name into the Goblet. Maybe even expose whoever did it."

Regulus moaned, rubbing his eyes.

"I should have never come to you."

Jessica smiled, "Far too late for that."

"Alright, it's ready!" Jeyne announced, waving for them to come over.

Approaching the table, they looked into a large bowl of mysterious ingredients.

The old woman lit a small torch and handed it over to Regulus, who hesitantly took it in confusion.

"What am I to do with this?"

"Once I pour the blood into the bowl and after she has announced the timeline the book needs to cover, you'll need to light the bowl with the torch. Do it immediately, not too early or too late, or else the spell will not work."

Though not confident in the plan or himself, he nodded.

Getting ready, Jeyne began pouring the blood on top of the ingredients inside the bowl.

"Severus Snape!" Jessica cried out. "September 1st, 1976 to the Present Day!"

Just as the last drop of blood came out, Regulus tilted the small torch onto the bowl and the whole thing lit up in red flames. A loud mysterious cry echoed through the entire stone house and the flames grew so bright that they had to turn away. A few seconds later, the flames receded and everything grew quiet, except for the storm outside.

Turning back to the bowl, they found a dark book in place of where the ingredients and blood should have been, entitled:

* * *

 _ **The Book of Severus Snape**_

 _ **September 1st, 1976 - November 2nd, 1977**_

* * *

"Holy shit!" Regulus exclaimed. "It worked!"

Smiling to herself, Jessica picked up the book and touched the hardcover surface with her hand, turning to its first paper that read out a summary:

* * *

 _"Returning to Hogwarts for his 6th year, Severus Snape struggles with both a war within himself and a physical war that threatens to tear the Wizarding World apart. Becoming more brainwashed by his own housemates and struggling against a losing fight on two fronts, he discovers help from someone who understands him more than anyone else ever has... even himself. But as he opens up to his potentially new friend, he is forced to face hard decisions, revelations , secrets and challenges."_

* * *

Regulus read over her shoulder, "The book definitely feels like one of those _epic, adventure novels_ from the library at Hogwarts."

Closing it with a _taut_ , Jessica turned her attention to Jeyne, "Thank you for doing this."

Jeyne, though clearly still upset, nodded back, "You're very welcome. But remember, this makes us even. And none of this comes back on me if Severus gets upset."

"I promise I won't mention your involvement."

Both women turned to Regulus.

Taking a moment to figure out why they gave him such serious looks, his eyes widened, "Oh, right! Yeah, I promise I won't tell either."

They rolled their eyes at him at the same time.

Taking the book with them, they walked to the door, preparing to face the deadly storm outside.

"So, when did winter come back?" Jessica asked.

"About two years ago," Jeyne replied. "Summer should be around the corner in a year or two."

"A year or two?!" Regulus's mouth dropped in shock.

They ignored him.

"I really do appreciate this, Jeyne."

"Just make sure you only use it to help Severus. That boy has been through enough shit in life already."

"I'll make sure it's put to good use," she smiled.

"And if you see Derick, tell him that I said _hi._ Maybe even suggest coming to see an old, lonely woman."

"Not promising anything, Jeyne."

Before she could reply, both Jessica and Regulus opened the door, feeling the force of the wind try to rush right in. With all of their strength, they ran out of the stone house and pulled the door shut, with Jeyne's help from the other side. Without looking back, they quickly made their way back to the small concrete cabin and wasted no time entering it, struggling to shut the door as they did.

"What kind of a world is this that would have winter for years?!" Regulus shouted as he forced himself to take off the furry coat and hang it up.

Meanwhile, Jessica used the panel to start up the Portal machine and set their coordinates. Once hanging up her coat, she and Regulus walked through the machine, heading back to their previous destination.

Once arriving back at her place, and two long, separate, hot showers, they sat down on her comfy couch, staring at the dark book that laid on a glass table before them.

"So, what's the plan concerning this?"

Jessica sighed, "I guess maybe get your House-Elf Kreacher, to deliver it to Dumbledore and maybe attach a note."

"But how can we make sure Dumbledore believes it's real? A book that details over a year of Severus's life and supposed death? That'll sound too good to be true. Even be considered convenient."

Taking a drink of her glass of wine, her eyes widened at an idea and a smile slowly appeared on her face.

"It should be an Azkaban crime for you to do that."

Ignoring him, she grabbed the book and opened it to its first chapter, "Get your wand ready. We're going to go through this and edit out the parts that are not important."

Moaning, Regulus did as he was told.

"Okay, sure, I get that part. But what about the part of making sure they believe this is real?"

Jessica smiled and winked at him, "Oh trust me-"

"Which I don't."

"-I have a plan for that too."

"And if I don't like it?"

Leaning towards him, she whispered into his ear, "If you help me through this and if it works, I'll consider taking you out on a date when you turn seventeen."

Feeling the blood beginning to rush and a newfound energy springing to life, he smiled with glee and took out his wand, "Well then, lets get to work!"

* * *

 **So, yeah, this story is going to be a _'story within a story'_. You know those stories where the characters read the books about themselves (which Harry Potter fanfics are famous of doing)? Well, I got the idea of what-if the staff and students of Hogwarts got to read about Severus Snape and his adventures. **

**The idea first came to me when I was writing _'The Mysterious Traveler'_ and I remembered a reviewer asking me if we would ever get scenes from Severus's world. I didn't really have an answer, because I'm going back and forth on whether I was going to touch on that. But then I began wondering how cool would it be for Lily and everyone else to suddenly be able to read about Severus's adventures with Aang, Sokka and Katara. While the idea was still there for to explore with that story, I knew it held enough promise and potential for a separate story. An experiment to see how it turned out and maybe even consider doing a spin-off version for _'The Mysterious Traveler'_. I'm even considering doing _'Redemption'_ as well.**

 **But it all rests with you guys. Should I do something like that for my stories? Please let me know in the review section.**

 **Message to _'DanReid4': "Appreciate your reviews. Thank you. I apologize for the long wait on updating 'The Mysterious Traveler'. I will be getting back to it soon, just working through future story-arcs and what directions I should go with it. And I apologize for Severus's second name 'Alex' not working out for you. I've given it some thought and it might be possible the idea might be concluded sooner than later. But I guess we'll have to wait and see. Thank you for the reviews!" :)_**

 **Message to _'Guest'_ (The one about James's 6-pack) _: "True, James was a skinny nugget like Harry, but I think it's possible he became more fit by 6th year. And not sure an 8-pack is possible for Severus, but I can work something out."_**

 **Message to _'trickster32'_ (Question: 'Should I be worried about the name? LOL!) _: "Appreciate the review. I like that you bring up some really great subjects in it. The kind of review-candy I love. Both Regulus and the mysterious woman (aka Jessica, as revealed in this chapter) play a part in the story and what goes down (or rather, what went down). Jessica does have plans, but they revolve mostly around Severus."_**

 **Message to _'actionliker': "Great to see you back for this story. Always appreciated." :)_**

 **Well, guys, that's all I got. I'll try to get to work on Chapter 5 as soon as possible. But for now, I hope you liked chapter 4.**

 **See you all later! :)**


	5. Special Delivery

**The Unknown Hero**

* * *

 **Welcome back guys! I just want to thank you all for the amazing reviews I've been receiving! Please, oh please, keep 'em coming!**

 **I hate to say this, but some of my chapters (including this one) will be short. Reason being is because I feel more relaxed when they aren't so freaking huge. I usually go back and do edits, even add new material from time to time. And lets just say that my work on _Redemption_ was the most hardest I've ever done. So I've long since decided to try and stick to shorter chapters. If a chapter gets too long, I'll just finish it and split it into parts. But for now on, they won't be very long.**

 **I'm happy to see the number of people adding this story to their _Favs_ & _Alerts_ lists, including the reviews. I hope I'm living up to your expectations.**

 **Anyway, please enjoy chapter 5!**

* * *

 **Chapter Five:**

 **Special Delivery**

* * *

James Potter sat down at the Gryffindor table, alongside his three best mates; Sirius Black, Peter Pettigrew and Remus Lupin. As they ate their dinner in the Great Hall, silence filled their small area, despite the usual noise the students were making. Even as other members of their house joined in conversations, they continued to remain quiet, something that Lily Evans showed worry towards from where she was sitting.

"Prongs, you going to live?" Sirius bumped his elbow with his own, smiling. "You're ruining my evening."

James offered him a small smile, but immediately faded.

Sirius sighed, "Is it about Snivellus?"

He nodded, taking a drink from his cup.

"What's there to worry about, mate? So what if he's alive! That means more pranking for us."

"It's just..." he hesitated. "I'm worried that he may..." His eyes drifted to Lily, which Sirius followed.

Sirius began to chuckle, almost choking on his food, "Now... that's funny. _Snivellus Snape stealing the love of your life_. Seriously, how can he compare to you? He's a git with greasy hair and bad looks. And that's not including his fascination with the Dark Arts. But you, on the other hand, are as famous as they come. Every girl in school wants a chance to ride your broom."

"Yeah, but she has history with him."

"That ended more than a year ago. You and I were there. Almost all of the school was. Now get that confidence back and woo her over."

James sighed and leaned on his elbows over the table, deep in thought.

"Lily may not show it that much, but I think she regrets ending their relationship. After his... _death_ , I've overheard her asking her friends if she made the right choice. They even talked about rumors that the Death Eaters had murdered him for trying to leave."

"Big problem with that rumor, Prongs. _Snivellus isn't dead_. So either his friends helped him fake his death or he ran away like a coward."

Lupin rolled his eyes as he sat his book down and sighed, catching their attention.

"Something you want to get off your chest?" Sirius raised an eyebrow at him as he took a bite of his food.

"I won't lie, even I thought Severus would join the Death Eaters. But unlike you three, I noticed something weird going on with him last year, before his de- disappearance."

"Like what?"

"Well, he started spending more time with our last year's Defense Against The Dark Arts teacher and less with anyone from Slytherin. And he even started taking better care of himself."

"Speaking of which, whatever happened to that Defense teacher?" Peter interrupted, unaware of the angry look Lupin sent him.

Sirius shrugged.

"I heard he resigned from the position to travel the world," James answered. "Dumbledore tried to persuade him to stay, but he insisted he had no reason to stay anymore."

"And how do you know this?" Lupin asked.

"Uh, Head Boy, remember?"

"Wait, back up," Sirius turned to Lupin. "You said Snivellus started taking better care of himself. What do you mean by that?"

"Well, his hair was no longer greasy and he was wearing new clothes. For someone who loved to pick on him, you sure missed a lot of things about him."

"There, that proves it!" Sirius smiled with delight.

"Proves what?" James looked at him with confusion.

"That his Death Eater friends helped him fake his death. How else could he afford new clothes and arrange for his hair to be no longer greasy."

Lupin stared at him with frustration, "But that doesn't make sense with what I've seen. He was spending more time with the DADA professor than with his Slytherin friends, I swear it. I even overheard him getting into an argument with Mulciber and Avery about it. I didn't hear the whole conversation, but they didn't sound friendly or happy."

"Maybe the Defense professor was one of them?"

"No, he wasn't. I read about the arrests of multiple Death Eaters, none of whom were him. And personally, the guy was great from the memories I have of him. I'm telling you, he wasn't involved."

"He sure defended Snivellus a lot," Sirius growled.

Lupin glared at him, "That's because you guys wouldn't stop pulling pranks on him. And in case if you've forgotten, he got onto anyone who was out of line in his class."

Sirius turned towards James and patted him on the shoulder, "Look, mate, whatever happens when he comes back, we'll be there for ya. And I promise you that he can't steal Lily from you. Just from the start of the school year, the two of you have been on better terms than ever before. Snivellus being alive doesn't change anything, except for easy competition in this Tournament."

Lifting his head up, he nodded, feeling some relief from his friend's words.

* * *

A little ways from across the table of the Marauders, Lily Evans found herself playing with her food as her friends talked. Once in a while, she would turn to look over to where James and the others were at, feeling worried at the expression on the dark haired boy's face. It was so unusual to see them so quiet. Even when they did manage to get into a conversation, she couldn't help but feel worried.

"Earth to Lily!" a voice brought her back to reality.

Turning to its source, she met the eyes of Emmeline and smiled, "Um, sorry, a little distracted."

"We noticed," Mary raised an eyebrow. "Want to talk about it?"

Lily shook her head, "No, I'm fine."

"Is it about Snape again?" Emmeline asked. "Lily, you need to stop acting like this. You finally got over him this year and now you're back to square one because of that announcement."

"I know," she sighed, struggling to control herself. "I just... I just need time to process all of this. Can we please change the subject?"

Mary, Emmeline and Marlene smiled.

"Sounds great, as long as it puts a smile on your face," Marlene took a bite of her food.

"So," Mary clapped her hands together. "Anyone have any ideas on what they're going to do when our final year is over."

"Other than spending one final summer having fun and getting ready for Auror training in August, that's about it," Emmeline sighed. "Just thinking about leaving Hogwarts is making me sad."

"Any potential boyfriends you plan on pursuing?" Mary asked.

"Nah."

"Come on, there's got to be someone. Surely Black didn't catch your heart that much."

"Oh, trust me, he's long gone."

"Well, I plan on going into business with my mother down in Diagon Alley," Marlene announced. "Though I am interested in seeing if I can get a job at the Ministry."

"How about you, Mary?" Emmeline asked.

Mary sighed, "Haven't thought about that yet."

"Better hurry up, because the clock is clicking against us this year," Lily nudged her shoulder, smiling.

The four girls laughed as they changed from subject to subject.

* * *

Over at the staff table in front of the Great Hall, Dumbledore sat in his seat as he lost himself in deep thought, unaware of the concerned expression he was receiving from Professor McGonagall. His thoughts were plagued by the mystery of Severus Snape. He tried searching for answers as to where the boy might be. He questioned everything from why he would disappear from the world, did he fake his death, and where he was now.

"Albus," McGonagall whispered to him, getting his attention as he turned towards her. "Are you alright?"

Dumbledore smiled, "Of course, Minerva. Just lost in my own world."

Though still worried, Minerva nodded and looked away, her worry fading away as she smiled at the pleasant evening in front of her.

Suddenly, from the large open doorway, a bright light came flying from out of nowhere and flew directly in front of the high table before coming to a stop, making the entire room fall silent. Loud screams could be heard from the students as the lights went dark, with only the mysterious white rays shining on everything in the Great Hall. As everyone slowly looked up towards the intruder, they waiting for something to happen.

The teachers, including Dumbledore, immediately had their wands out. Ready for an attack. All of the Perfects, including the Head Boy and Girl were on their feet.

Some time passed as an eerie silence filled the room. And then... an unrecognizable female's voice called out.

 _"To the staff and students of Hogwarts! A name was selected from your Goblet of Fire! A name that was supposed to remain at rest and undisturbed! Because of this unforeseen incident, we have come on behalf of Severus Tobias Snape!"_

Whispers and low gossip immediately came to life, making the eyes of Dumbledore, Lily, James, Sirius, and many others light up. The low whispering was immediately silenced as the voice resumed.

 _"We received your message as intended! However, before Mister Snape can be made aware of this, we come with a 'gift' of sorts!"_

From the white light before them, a mysterious large item fell and landed on the high table with a loud _thud_.

 _"If you wish to know the truth to Severus Snape's reasons for leaving, this will tell you everything you need to know! But be warned, what you will find is a harsh truth! This was made from a 'Blood-Book' spell, one that details his life from the beginning of his sixth school year to the night his name was pulled out of the Goblet! Believe it or call it a fake, that's all up to you!_

 _"As for competing in this Tournament of yours, that is up to Mister Snape to decide! You will know by the time of the first task if he has decided to compete or not! And t_ _here will be no more messages from us after this!_

 _"Happy reading!"_

The mysterious white light evaporated as the lights of the Great Hall came back to life, everyone staring in shock at what had just happened. All eyes turned to the book that laid on the table.

Dumbledore approached, with his wand in hand, and performed a spell to search for anything wrong with it. When the spell was complete and let him know it was safe, he slowly began to pick it up. He read the cover and then turned it over, studying it. Putting his wand back into his pocket, he opened the first page and read its summary. His eyes widened, not knowing what to think at the moment.

The figure of McGonagall approached his right side, whispering, "Albus, we need to send the students back to their rooms for the night!"

Regaining himself, he looked up towards the crowd and announced, "If the staff, Perfects and Heads please lead the students back to their dorm rooms for the night. I know many of you are shaken by what has transpired and I promise to tell you everything we will know in the morning. But for right now, please return to your Common Rooms and get some rest for the night."

Without another word, the teachers and staff, including the Perfects and Heads all began leading the confused, scared students from the Great Hall. Though some wished to approach the Headmaster and demand answers, they restrained themselves in the presence of the teachers.

* * *

As the Slytherins were led to the dungeons, a hidden figure quickly joined in from the shadows of the hallway.

"Regulus?" a fourth-year boy exclaimed as he bumped into him. "Where have you been?"

Regulus shrugged as he replied, "Had to use the bathroom. Why is everyone going back this early?"

"Oh, you missed it! There was this-" the boy began to tell him of the what had transpired, unaware that he wasn't listening to him. Instead, his attention was towards the hallway he had come from, watching as a cloaked figure disappeared up to the seventh floor of the castle.

* * *

Once the students were back in their Houses for the night, Dumbledore called a meeting in his office with all of the staff members of the school and also the Head Boy and Head Girl. Everyone was talking at the same time, with the exception of Lily Evans and James Potter.

Though the whole thing, Lily was lost in her own world, trying to make sense of things. She didn't know how to feel or how to process them.

Even James was feeling something similar.

"Dumbledore, we need to search for the person who did this!" one of the teachers declared. "I don't care who it was, but we need to find them."

"They mean no threat," Professor Sprout tried to reason. "If they had, they would have done something more dangerous than this."

"They talked about Mister Snape, meaning they may know where he is," said the new Defense Against The Dark Arts professor. "I agree with Professor Sprout that whoever did this means no harm to us. But that does not change the fact that we need Mister Snape back here for the Tournament. As far as I'm concerned, they are the only leads we have to finding him."

"I appreciate your dedication to finding Mister Snape, Professor Goldgrass," Dumbledore rubbed his chin as he stood before them. "However, I believe that trying to find those responsible for tonight's stunt would be a waste of time. We already have a new lead to finding Mister Snape." He touched the surface of the book that laid on the table with his hand.

"How do we know it's actually what they say it is?" Professor Goldgrass pressed on. "I've never heard of a _'Blood-Book'_ before."

"I have," Lily spoke out by accident, mentally berating herself for letting her bookworm side take control for the moment.

Everyone turned to look at her, expecting an explanation.

Swallowing, she continued, "I once read about a wizard who used a mysterious spell called the _'Blood-Book'_ , as a way to defeat his enemies by knowing their past and being able to know what they've been doing in recent time. However, his enemies discovered what he was doing and tried to steal it from him. Not wanting his work to fall into the hands of those who would use it to ruin him, he destroyed all evidence of it and disappeared."

Dumbledore smiled at her as he picked up the book, "It would seem that the spell has been recreated for further use. I believe we should research this book and see if it matches up with anything that tells us it is truly about Severus. Miss Evans," he motioned her to come forward, "since you were once friends with our missing Slytherin, I would like for you to help me prove that this is indeed authentic."

Approaching the desk, she looked down at the book and then to Dumbledore, who nodded in approval. Picking it up, she read the title and her breath caught at the name of her former best friend. Opening it, she began reading the first few pages, making sure to read fast. As she sat it down, tears fell from her cheeks as she turned to face them.

"The book is real."

"You're sure?" Professor Goldgrass asked.

"I'm sure. The way how it's written about... _him_. It has to be."

An eerie silence filled the room as everyone began to process the information.

Lily walked back to where James was, who looked at her with worry at the sight of the tears she was wiping away.

"Albus, what are we going to do?" Minerva asked.

Dumbledore rubbed his chin as he replied, "There's only one thing we can do. We must read the book to find out where Severus Snape is."

"Sounds easy," said Professor Sprout.

"With the entire school to hear it."

Everyone looked at the Headmaster with wide eyes.

"Dumbledore," Professor Slughorn spoke for the first time since stepping into the office. The entire time his mind was on Severus Snape and what the book had represented to him. "We can't just read out the private moments of Mister Snape's life. For one of us to read it is one thing, but this is a breach of trust."

"I understand your concern, Horace. But the entire school knows the existence of the book and I have no intention of lying to them when they already know its purpose now. They will demand answers. And when I tell them tomorrow morning, they will wish to hear about the story of what happened to Severus Snape last school year. There is no keeping this quiet."

"But the newspapers will want to hear this," Sprout tried to reason. "It won't just be the entire school, it'll be the entire country. Possibly the entire Wizarding World."

"Dumbledore, we can't do this to him!" Slughorn pressed, hoping to get through. "We can address the situation to the students and get to the bottom of this without revealing anything."

Dumbledore offered a sympathetic smile as he replied, "I'm sorry, Horace. But this is something I believe we must do. If we don't, rumors and false stories will rise. And if they aren't addressed when Mister Snape comes back, it may make matters worse for everyone. This was supposed to be a Tournament to help celebrate an area of peace in our world. Twice we have been represented with unforeseen circumstances that have been confusing and scaring our students. By doing this, we will give closure to what has been happening to the students of this school. I believe we owe it to them to put their minds at ease."

Though wanting to protest, Slughorn held his tongue as he nodded.

Dumbledore took the book into his hands and announced, "Tomorrow, I will address the students and tell them about the book, and that we will begin reading it during dinner. One or two chapters will do."

Everyone nodded as they began to the leave the office. Soon, only Lily and James remained.

"Sir," Lily approached the Headmaster. "I hope you don't mind me asking, but... do you really think this book will... tell us where he is?"

Dumbledore smiled at her, "Why yes, my dear. I truly do. I find it no coincidence that this book turned up just after his name came out of the Goblet and the revelation of him being alive."

"But the... _voice_ said that he doesn't know about the Tournament. Why wouldn't he know if the voice sent us this?"

The old Headmaster sighed, "I'm afraid I don't know, Miss Evans. But hopefully the book will reveal to us why... and more." He clapped his hands together. "Now, run along. Being Head Girl and Boy is demanding work and you'll need your rest."

James approached her from behind and led her out of the office, beginning their walk back to the Head Boy and Girl dorm rooms.

"Are you alright, Lily?" James asked as he saw more tears sliding down her cheeks.

Lily sniffled, wiping the tears away as she replied, "I... don't know."

Though wanting to do something to comfort her, he nodded and left it at that.

* * *

Back in his office, Dumbledore paced around as the book continued to lay on the surface of his desk. His mind thinking hard about it. Never before had he experienced something like this. A book that detailed a person's life. The very thought made him scared if one was ever made about his past. All the secrets and revelations that would be made public for all to read about.

Staring down at the book, he picked it up and ran his hand over the name.

" _Severus Snape!_ " he whispered to himself. "What kind of secrets will your story reveal?"

* * *

 **And that's it for chapter five! Man, the story is starting to get going now.**

 **But yeah, for those who haven't figured it out, this is going to be a " _Reading The Book"_ kind of story. Similar to the _"Characters Read The HP Books"_ that's been famous for a while. But the best part is that I don't have to worry about _copyright_ on this one, because it's mostly going to be original.**

 **Message to _'_ _Johnson': "I appreciate the review. And I know you have tons of questions, but where would the fun be if I answered them all. So I'm just going to have to reply with the most clichéd thing of all from a writer, "No comment." Sorry, man. But seriously, please keep the big, detailed reviews coming. I love these!"_**

 **I know I already said this enough times now, but just as a reminder, this story is actually part of a _"Severus Snape Series"_ I'm doing. The other stories already published are _'Redemption'_ and _'The Mysterious Traveler'_. So if you're interested in checking them out, you can find them on my profile by clicking my name at the top. **

**Anyway, I'm done for the night. Hope you enjoyed the chapter and I'll see you in Chapter 6! ;)**


	6. Reading Chapter One

**The Unknown Hero**

* * *

 **Hey guys! Sorry for another long wait for this chapter! Been a little busy (as usual).**

 **Anyway, this chapter will finally get to the part where the school will start reading the book.**

 **So, enjoy Chapter 6!**

* * *

 **Chapter Six:**

 **Reading Chapter One**

* * *

"-can't believe that actually happened last night!" a third-year girl exclaimed at the Gryffindor table. "I mean, it was scary and all, but every since this Tournament got started, it's been pretty exciting! And the first task hasn't even started yet!"

Lily couldn't help but smile a bit at the girl's excitement as she sat next to her friends. Ever since the night before, everyone had immediately ganged up on James and her, begging for answers.

"Okay, spill the beans!" Mary demanded.

Lily rolled her eyes as she began filling her plate up, "Not now guys. I barely got any sleep and I've got a big day to look forward to."

"Come on, you can tell us!" Emmeline playfully bumped her elbow.

"No, I can't. And besides, Dumbledore will be here soon to explain everything." Her patience was running thin with everyone single one of them.

"What was that book that was left behind?" Mary pressed.

"Guys, please!" she raised her voice, immediately silencing everyone around her. "Like I said, Dumbledore will explain everything when he makes his announcement. All I can say is that he already knows what to do."

"Of course he does!" said Marlene. "This is Dumbledore we're talking about."

Finally left in peace, Lily began eating her food, all-the-while struggling with the dark abyss in her heart.

* * *

Across the Gryffindor table, James and his friends were also deep in a conversation of their own, one that hasn't stopped since last night.

"Come on, mate," Sirius begged. "You got to tell us something. What was that book?"

"And who left it there?" asked Peter.

Remus remained silent as he buried himself in his studies, forgetting his food that was lying before him, untouched.

James sighed, "Guys, Dumbledore will make an announcement soon. The only thing I can say is that it will be better to hear it from him than from me or Lily."

Sirius whimpered in disappointment.

Remus rolled his eyes as he looked away from his book and addressed his friend, "Sirius, stop it! You heard the man, Dumbledore will explain everything."

"But I can't stand the excitement!"

"It isn't like you're waiting for Christmas to arrive to see what present you got, you only have to wait til-"

"Students, may I have your attention, please!" came the loud voice of Albus Dumbledore, silencing the whole Great Hall as everyone turned their attention the Headmaster. "I must deeply apologize, once again, for the lack of communication and recent events. I believe I don't need to go into detail of what happened last night to all of you. I will admit, however, we have yet to find those who were responsible for delivering _this._ "

As the Headmaster pulled out the book from his robes, he held it up for all to see.

Every student had their eyes on the book, reading the title and the date on the cover.

* * *

 _ **The Book of Severus Snape**_

 _ **September 1st, 1976 - November 2nd, 1977**_

* * *

Whispering, and gossip immediately came to life, especially at the Gryffindor table. Some eyes were on Lily, who turned away and blushed. James was also looking at her, trying to see what her initial reaction would be.

Mary, Emmeline, and Marlene stared at their best friend with worried expressions, immediately coming to her aid by glaring at the people who were looking at her, making them turn away.

Dumbledore continued to hold the book in his hands, "While the culprits are still at large, we have been able to confirm that the book was indeed created by an ancient spell known as the _'Blood-Book'_ , which has the power to detail one's life through their blood. And in this case, this book contains over a year of Mister Snape's life. More specifically, his sixth year."

The whispering got louder and more chaotic, interests peaking at the news.

"Please contain your excitement for the moment!" Dumbledore's voice echoed off the walls, making everyone become silent. "After much discussing with the Heads and staff, I have decided that for every night for the following months ahead, we will read the book during dinner. Whether or not Mister Snape will be coming back to participate in the Tournament remains to be seen, we will start reading the book at dinner time tonight. Hopefully, this will tell us the whereabouts of Mister Snape and the mysterious events surrounding his false death."

Lower whispering resumed, with many excited at the news.

"Each teacher will take turns reading a chapter a night. Depending on how long each chapter is, we may be able to do one to three." He put the book back into his robes and clapped his hands together. "With that said, please finish up your breakfast for your first classes of the day."

As he made his way to the Great Hall, Dumbledore heard footsteps following him as he turned around to find Professor Slughorn not so far behind.

"May I have a quick word, Headmaster?"

Dumbledore nodded and offered a small smile, "Of course, Slughorn. Please, walk with me."

Slughorn nodded as he followed closely, "I wish to speak to you about Severus Snape."

Dumbledore chuckled, "It would seem that the young man is all the rage now. What do you wish to discuss about him?"

"I apologize for being redundant, Headmaster," he swallowed. "But I do not support this decision in reading the book out to the students. What we are about to do isn't right. I agree that we must not throw away this opportunity to use it in finding out what happened last year, but there are other ways. More private ways."

"Slughorn, we can't just keep the contents of the book hidden from the students. They've already seen it and they will demand answers. Even the parents and the entire Wizard World will eventually follow."

"And we can offer them an explanation, without exposing every single little detail of this young boy's life."

"The public will eventually find out, one way or another."

"Then we should destroy it after getting what we need from it!" Slughorn's anger was rising.

"Which will only make things worse by doing so. If the book had been delivered without the knowledge of the students, then I would have kept its existence secret. But we don't have that luxury. By doing it this way, we are may just force Mister Snape out of hiding."

"And why does finding Severus Snape mean so much right now?"

As they arrived at the Gargoyle Corridor entrance of the Headmaster's Tower, they entered and began climbing the steps to Dumbledore's office.

"Because finding Mister Snape is a very important priority for the Tournament, his life and also to find answers to what happened the last school year."

"And to potentially catch another Death Eater on the run," came a voice as the two entered the office.

In front of them was Alastor 'Mad-Eye' Moody and three other Aurors.

"Alastor!" Dumbledore smiled. "Happy you could make it."

"The moment I read the papers about Severus Snape's supposed resurrection and issued a search for the boy on your recommendation, I was dying to get a meeting with you, Dumbledore," Mad-Eye walked forward with his staff, his left eye studying Slughorn. "So, tell me, how is he still alive?"

Dumbledore sighed, "To be frank, I have no idea. Aside from the fact that the Goblet of Fire confirmed he is still alive, I can only speculate that he had faked his death."

Mad-Eye shook his head, "Dumbledore, I've been in this business for a long time, and I was there when we inspected Severus Snape's body. Nothing about it was fake. He was as good as dead as one could get. And if I remember correctly, he was cremated."

"Which makes me believe was supposed to make sure no one would find an empty grave."

Though still not convinced, Mad-Eye nodding, "If he is alive, how can we find him? Even my best teams have nothing."

"That's because they don't have this," Dumbledore pulled out the book and handed it to him.

Snatching it from the Headmaster's hands, Alastor read the cover and also the summary, his magical eye studying every word and sentence.

"I've heard of this _'Blood-Book'_ spell before but never seen it in action. If memory served correct, the man who invented this spell disappeared a long time ago, along with his daughter."

"I wasn't aware the creator had a daughter," Dumbledore took the book back and approached his desk, sitting it on the wooden surface.

"Most don't, but I try to remember everything I can about potential dark wizards. Especially Severus Snape, in this case. So, what do you plan to do with that book?"

Dumbledore turned to face them, "I plan to begin reading it to the students tonight. Hopefully, this will explain to us what happened to Mister Snape last year."

Mad-Eye nodded, "Nice way to force him out of hiding if there's something he doesn't want getting out. But I am suspicious as to where this book came from and from who. How do we know it isn't false?"

"The Head Girl, Lily Evans, was able to provide us with proof that it was real by reading the first few chapters. She knew him the best out of all of us. Until the end of their fifth year, that is."

"And what happened at the end of their fifth year?" Mad-Eye demanded.

"From what I've heard, they got into an argument and she broke off their friendship, due to his connections with Mulciber and Avery."

"So the boy was a Death Eater in the making. With that in mind, I'm starting to believe that boy just may have been in league with _'You-Know-Who'_ and used his connections with them to fake his death. Can't deal with an enemy you don't know is still alive."

Dumbledore's expression gave nothing away to what he thought on the matter. Stroking his beard, he began to let his mind wander a bit.

"I hope it's not too much to ask, Albus," Mad-Eye tapped his staff against the ground. "But I would like a copy of that book to investigate further. To see if I find anything that may speed up the process to finding Mister Snape."

The old Headmaster smiled, "Of course, Alastor. I'll make sure to get a copy to you as soon as possible."

The Auror nodded, "Much appreciated."

Taking his leave, Mad-Eye and the three Aurors left the office, leaving only Dumbledore and Slughorn.

Sighing, the Head of Slytherin turned to the Headmaster, "Albus... is there nothing I can do to persuade you not to do this? I'm asking you as a friend."

Meeting his eyes, the old wizard shook his head, "I apologize for doing this, but no. My mind is already made up."

Silence followed as the two looked each other in the eyes, refusing to back down, until Slughorn turned away and nodded, "Understood."

As he turned to walk away, he lost himself in his thoughts as he remembered the Slytherin from his memories. He could only pray that he could forgive them for what they were about to do. For what he couldn't stop them from doing.

* * *

Regulus paced around his dorm room for what felt like hours. His heart was racing as he began having doubts about this plan that Jessica had put in place. And he was more worried about how Severus would react when he found out.

"Damn it, where are you, Severus!" he said out loud, not realizing the danger if someone had heard him.

Suddenly, a knock came at the door, startling him.

"Regulus!" one of his roommates entered. "Come on! You don't want to miss dinner, do you? Dumbledore's going to read the first chapter! Me and the others are dying to know what happened to Se- Hey, are you alright?"

Regulus turned away, "Yeah, just nervous is all. I still can't believe he's alive either."

"Yeah, like you and everyone else in this school! Now come on! We're going to be late!"

Sighing, Regulus followed the boy out of the Slytherin Common Room, heading for the Great Hall with the rest of his house.

* * *

There was excitement in the air as everyone quickly ate their food and got their homework done, not wanting to miss out on the event that was about to happen. A few journalists and newspaper reporters also filled the Great Hall, along with Alastor Moody and a couple of Aurors. Students were in deep conversations about what was about to happen, unable to contain their excitement.

Regulus ate along with his fellow Slytherins, his heart still racing as his face turned pale. It was starting to dawn on him that his involvement would soon be revealed in the future chapters ahead. But he took comfort in that fact that he was safe for right now and that Severus would _hopefully_ be back before then.

At the Gryffindor table, Lily was unable to eat anything as she stared at her plate, with different thoughts and emotions rushing through her. Despite having read two pages of the book, she was not looking forward to the what the rest of it had in store. She already had ideas what it might reveal, but it was the fear of the unknown that made her scared of going any further.

Across from her, James, Sirius, Remus, and Peter were deep in conversation about what the book was going to reveal. Sirius poked fun at what secrets they could use against the Slytherin when he returned. However, James kept on looking over towards Lily, worried about the state she was in at the moment.

When the time came, Dumbledore stood and approached the students and the guest before the staff of Hogwarts, standing by a single chair. He held the book in his hands as everything and everyone went quiet. Just the fact he didn't even have to speak amused him how observant they all were at the moment.

"To the journalists, reporters and other guests who have come here tonight, all of Hogwarts welcome you to this special occasion. And to the students, I thank you for the patience you have shown. Like I said this morning, we will begin by reading the first chapter. From there, different teachers, and maybe on special occasions, students as well, will read a chapter."

The students became excited at the news.

"Without further due, let's get started," he sat on the chair as he opened the book to the very first page. "Starting off with the summary-"

"Summary?" Mary McDonald whispered to her friends. "There's actually a summary in this book?"

"Shush!" a first-year whispered, earning a glare from Mary.

 ** _"Returning to Hogwarts for his 6th year, Severus Snape struggles with both a war within himself and a physical war that threatens to tear the Wizarding World apart."_**

The students began whispering.

 ** _"Becoming more brainwashed by his own housemates-"_**

Lily's heart shrunk at hearing those words. Feelings of regret and shame filled her. It made her wonder if he faked his death for this exact reason.

 ** _"-and struggling against a losing fight on two fronts, he discovers help from someone who understands him more than anyone else ever has... even himself-"_**

"Is the book talking about Lily?" Sirius asked.

James shook his head, "They weren't friends by then. It has to be talking about someone else."

 _ **"But as he opens up to his potentially new friend, he is forced to face hard decisions, revelations, secrets, and challenges."**_

"For a summary, that was not bad," said a fifth year Ravenclaw.

Dumbledore turned to the next paper and announced, **_" Chapter One: When The Whole World Is Against You!"_**

The title made everyone question its meaning, even the journalists and reporters were noting everything down.

 ** _Darkness filled the entire tunnel,_** Dumbledore began. **_An endless darkness that refused to grant any hint of light._**

"Um, what exactly is happening?" a second year Gryffindor girl asked, only to receive shrugs from everyone around her.

 ** _Pressing forward, a figure used his hands to keep track of the walls, slowly moving his feet along the ground._**

"Is that Snape?" another voice asked.

Even James, Sirius, Remus and many others were wondering what was going on.

 ** _"Damn it!" the figure cursed to himself. 'Should have brought my wand. What was I thinking?'._**

"It has to be Snivellus," said Sirius.

 ** _Finally, a glimpse of light appeared. The figure pressed forward and came to a door, slowly managing to open it as he entered a heavily torn room of some kind. The roof was nearly gone, the windows were broken, the wood was cracked and the sound of the wind echoed throughout the house. Continuing on, he came into the light of the full moon, revealing the face Severus Snape._**

The students began whispering amongst each other again.

 _"_ Ah, there's that greasy git!" Sirius smiled.

Dumbledore continued, **_Investigating further, Severus looked around, leaving the room for another._**

"What is he looking for?" Emmeline asked.

 _ **But his journey didn't last long as a growl made him stop in his tracks. Frozen with fear.**_

Remus's eyes widened as he recognized the description. He turned to his friends, who also shared the same expression as him. They knew precious what this was.

Dumbledore continued, having read a few pages ahead the night before, he was convinced no one would figure what this passage meant, **_Managing to turn around, he saw something move against the shadows of a dark corner. He hoped it was just the wind or a rat. But deep down, he knew it was neither._**

"What is it?" a few students wondered.

 ** _S_** _ **uddenly, a pair of bright yellow eyes appeared from the corner, staring directly at him.**_

Some of the first and second years began to sink into their seats, even covering their eyes.

 _ **His eyes widened as he realized what it was and tried to turn and run, but he tripped over a broken chair, falling to the ground.**_

"Oh no!" a few students gasped.

 _ **Turning over, he saw the creature leap from the corner, with its claws and teeth ready for tearing. It's snarling made it clear it was out for blood. And before he could make a cry for help, it came crashing into him.**_

By that point, James, Sirius, and Remus were about to fly out of their seats and try to put a stop to the reading. But one quick look from the Headmaster made them hesitate, confused by this.

 ** _Thunder shook the house as he flew up from his bed, breathing heavily as he looked around and found himself back in his room of the old, ugly house on Spinner's End._** ** _Despite the sweat that soaked him and the sheets, he paid no attention._** ** _Once reassuring himself he was in no danger, he lowered his head into his hands and focused on controlling his breathing, slowing his heart down with each second._**

 ** _'Only a dream', he thought to himself. 'Only a dream.'"_**

The Great Hall came to life, while the Marauders relaxed.

"Only a dream?"

"What was that?"

"Seemed like a werewolf to me?"

"Werewolf?!"

The journalists and reporters had already filled out a full page by that point.

Hoping to restore order, Dumbledore shouted, "Silence!"

Once everyone calmed down, he continued, _**Looking at the time, Severus groaned and fell against the blankets covers beneath him, turning to his side as he stared out the window, watching the rain hit the glass.**_

 _ **'September 1st', he thought to himself. The day he was supposed to return to Hogwarts. A day he had been dreading all summer.**_

All the students and staff frowned at this.

 ** _As an hour went by_** ** _, Severus got up and went to the bathroom, deciding to get a head start on the day._**

"Oh sweet Merlin, please don't go into detail!" Sirius cried out. "I think I'll be scarred for life!"

The whole Hall was filled with laughter.

Dumbledore ignored him, **_After a quick shower and dressing in his Hogwarts robes, Severus looked himself in the mirror and felt disgusted by what was looking back at him. For once, he had to agree with those who made fun of his looks. He was ugly and hideous. And his crooked nose didn't help either._**

Lily's heart broke at hearing the words.

Sirius made a joke, only to receive a chuckle from Peter.

 _ **But where others would feel sorry for themselves, Severus didn't know how to feel about it. In fact, ever since... the Incident, he didn't know how to feel about anything. Except for... He stopped himself. He refused to think about her. The only person who could make him feel any pain.**_

Lily closed her eyes, knowing exactly the book was talking about her. She could feel the eyes of the Hall on her, like daggers poking her.

 ** _On one hand, he felt some good came out of feeling numb to everything now. It was only a matter of how long this numbness would last. He wished it would last forever._**

 _"_ Dear Merlin, this is depressing," someone whispered.

 _ **Returning to his room, he got everything ready in his trunk and closed the door on his way, not bothering to take a final look. It would hold no fond place in his heart.**_

"Geeze, lighten up, dude!" a Hufflepuff cried out.

 _ **Before he made it to the bottom floor, he heard the tv on and cursed himself. His hope of leaving before his father was awake was immediately destroyed. Forcing himself down the steps, he tried to keep quiet.**_

"Why would he wish his father was asleep before he left?" Marlene asked.

Lily kept silent, knowing what would happen next would answer her question. She prepared herself for the tears that would come.

 ** _S_** ** _ome part of him wanted to ask his mother if she could drive him to King's Cross Station, but he knew his father would never let them use the car. Not for this._**

"What is that suppose to mean?" someone asked.

 _ **Just as he reached the door, a voice called out to him, "And where do you think... you're going..."**_

 _ **Cursing himself again-**_

"He sure curses himself a lot," a second-year Gryffindor whispered, earning a chuckle from others.

 _ **-Severus turned around and saw his father on the other side of the hallway, drinking the last of a beer bottle. His pants were close to falling down, and his shirt nearly torn.**_

"A lot of description there," said a student.

 ** _T_** _ **he smell of alcohol almost made him want to vomit as he looked at his father.**_

 _ **"I said... where are you... going?!" Tobias Snape shouted, throwing the bottle at him. However, his aim was way off as the bottle hit the floor and the broken pieces slid right next to his feet.**_

 _ **Tobias cursed and said something in his drunken state that he didn't understand.**_

 _ **"Look at what... you made me do!" he shouted again. "Clean it up!"**_

Everyone was glaring at the book in Dumbledore's hand.

"You clean it up!" a fifth year Ravenclaw cried out.

 _ **Severus sneered, "You clean it up."**_

Everyone looked at the girl, who smiled sheepishly.

 _ **Turning around, he placed his hand on the doorknob, about to leave until another voice stopped him.**_

 _ **"What's going on?" Eileen Snape appeared from the stairs, rubbing her eyes. Seeing the broken glass, she groaned. "Honey, you shouldn't make such a mess."**_

 _ **Tobias's face lit up as he grabbed her by the head and yanked on her hair, making her cry out in pain. He then forced her to the ground.**_

 _ **"Don't tell me what to do!" he shouted. "Your good at cleaning, so clean it up!"**_

 _ **Shoving her to the ground, Eileen began to sob, feeling the sharp broken pieces of glass pierce her legs.**_

 _ **Severus closed his eyes and dropped his trunk onto the ground. Turning around, he faced his father, who was struggling to remain conscious with how drunk he was.**_

 _ **"What ya going to do?" he mocked him. "You gonna be a man. Beat your own father."**_

 _ **'Maybe I'll give you a scar or two to match the ones you gave me,' he thought to himself.**_

"What does that mean?" a young first year asked.

"A scar or two?" another student repeated.

Lily struggled to hold the tears back. This was where she could no longer read anymore.

 _ **As Eileen sobbed, Tobias kicked her in the ribs.**_

 _ **"Get to work, woman!"**_

 _ **Fueled by anger, Severus ran forward and punched his father in the face, making him fall backward.**_

"Yeah, get that prick, Snape!" someone cheered.

Sirius rolled his eyes.

 _ **Glaring down at his father with deep hatred, reality slowly came back to him as he realized what he had just done. A part of him hoped that his father would have been knocked out by the punch, but then he felt a hand grab his ankle.**_

 _ **"You... son of a b-"**_

 _ **Freeing himself, he approached his mother and helped her up.**_

 _ **"Honey, go..." she urged. "Go, now."**_

 _ **Looking her in the eyes, he understood and turned away.**_

"What is he doing?" a student exclaimed. "Why won't he help her?"

 _ **Walking back to the door, he picked up his trunk and opened the door, revealing that it was still raining outside.**_

 _ **"Get out of here!" he heard Tobias shout. "And never come back! If you do, I'll beat you so hard that you won't ever wake up! You are never allowed back into this house! YOU HEAR ME! YOU'RE NOTHING MORE THAN A MISTAKE! SOMETHING THAT WAS NEVER MEANT TO EXIST IN THIS LIFE!"**_

 _ **Severus closed his eyes, his heart twisting in his chest.**_

 ** _"It's more of the fact that he exists-" a voice echoed in his head._**

James Potter felt the eyes of his peers on him, making him feel small to the expressions that they were sending him, whether it be shock or disgust.

Lily looked down in shame, remembering the words as if they were said yesterday.

Everyone else wore sad expressions.

 ** _Pushing all of his emotions aside, he stepped out into the rain and was immediately soaked from the falling rain before he even left the driveway. He walked all the way to the bus stop and took the first boarding for London, using whatever money he had made over the summer to get there._**

 ** _Once arriving in London, he walked the rest of the way to King's Cross Station. Finding_ ****_Platform 9¾, he entered the secret barrier and approached the Hogwarts Express. Boarding, he found a compartment in the very back, away from anyone who would want to sit with him._**

 ** _Having arrived early, he cast a spell to dry himself and allowed himself to sleep for a while, to catch up on some rest._**

While Dumbledore continued, the entire Hall was silent from what they had just heard. There were even those who were on the verge of tears.

 _ **After a while, he was awoken by the feeling of something moving and his eyes flew open, slowly realizing that the train had begun moving. Sighing with relief, he continued to sleep for a little while longer, before getting up to use the restroom. He carefully made sure not be noticed by anyone he didn't want to run into.**_

Once more, James and the Marauders felt the eyes of some of them.

"Why are they looking at us?" Peter asked, completely oblivious.

Remus rolled his eyes.

 _ **But as he made his way back afterward, he came to a stop in the hallway. He felt his heart race and his mind begin to slow. Right in front of him was a redhead girl, who was talking to someone in a compartment from outside the open door.**_

 _ **Watching her smile and giggle melted his heart as he watched her. Everything else suddenly became irrelevant as he continued to stare. Just seeing her happy somehow made everything better.**_

 _ **But then she turned and saw him, her expression turning from happy to disgust.**_

 _ **Seeing that expression made his heart twist.**_

 _ **As she said her goodbyes, she began to walk his way but refused to acknowledge him in any way. Even as he followed her months, she passed him by and kept on walking, disappearing on the other side. A part of him kept like his heart had been broken into a million pieces.**_

 _ **But then again, what did he expect? Of course, she would react this way. It was only fitting after what had happened.**_

Lily buried her face in her hands and quietly began to sob.

Others looked her way, feeling sorry for her.

Mary, Emmeline, and Marlene gathered around her and began to comfort her.

James wanted to do the same but decided it was not the best idea at the moment.

 _ **As he got to the door of his compartment, he felt something hit him on the back and fell to the floor. Turning over, he searched for the source of where the attack came from and immediately saw three figures just ahead. His heart hardened and his anger rose.**_

 _ **"Hello, Snivellus!" Sirius Black smiled.**_

 _ **Pulling out his wand, he got up and prepared for a fight. However, he felt his wand fly out of his hand, cursing himself for not being fast enough. Looking up towards his attackers, he glared at them, wishing he could get his revenge against them, somehow.**_

Once more, many students were glaring at James, Sirius, Peter, and Remus.

 _ **"So, Snivellus!" James Potter approached with his wand aimed at him while being cheered by Peter Pettigrew. "You heard from Evans this summer?"**_

 _ **His vision was filled with a red mist, his body beginning to shake.**_

 _ **"What do you want, Potter!" he spat.**_

 _ **"Ah, I think he's going to cry," Sirius laughed.**_

 _ **"See you at Hogwarts, Snivellus," Potter raised his wand at him.**_

 _ **Severus continued to glare at him.**_

 _ **'Come on, do it, you bastard! ' he cried out within his mind. 'Maybe you'll grant me a blessing and kill me in the process! DO IT!'**_

Lily began to cry harder at hearing such thoughts. She rested her head against Mary's shoulder, getting her robes soaked from her tears.

James stared at her with sadness and regret.

 _ **However, much to his disappointment, he watched as they turned around and walked away. Breathing heavily, he picked up his wand and opened the door to his compartment. However, the moment he took a step forward, he fell forward and hit his head on the ground.**_

 _ **Turning over, he saw string around his feet.**_

 _ **He cried out in frustration and used his wand to slice right through the string, sliding the door shut as he stood there, his eyes full of anger. After a while, he sat down and looked out the window, closing his eyes as he felt the eyes come. But he refused to let them fall.**_

 _ **Eventually, sleep came for him once more. He felt the darkness take him as he embraced it, hoping it would take him away. But deep down, he knew it would only be temporary.**_

Dumbledore looked up and announced, "And that's the end of the first chapter."

But only silence followed as the students and others who were in the Great Hall allowed for what they had just heard sink in for them. Some were sad, some were angry and some were in between. And some were wondering whether or not if it was a good idea to continue.

Checking the time, Dumbledore closed the book and stood up.

"I think that's enough for one night. We shall continue tomorrow night with chapter two."

Not needing to be told twice, the student began to heading back to their Houses, all in silence.

Lily was led out by her friends, being followed by James and the Marauders closely behind.

Once everyone was gone, Dumbledore walked back to the Headmaster's Tower with Alastor Moody, making sure to give him a copy of the book that Madam Pince was about to replicate.

"This book..." Mad-Eye held the copy in his hand, studying it with his magical eye. "I don't know what to think of it, Albus. What I heard today was something I'm not so sure I want to look more into. What this kid endured... I don't blame him for leaving the way he did."

Dumbledore remained silent as he lost himself in his thoughts.

"But we need to know what happened to him last year. Far too many questions with so little answers to them."

"I agree," Dumbledore replied. "I'll let you know if he comes back."

"Good," Mad-Eye nodded. "Because he has a lot of explaining to do."

Taking his leave, Dumbledore was left alone in the office. He began to pace around and lose track of time. Picking up the book, he opened it up and began to read some more.

* * *

 **How was it?**

 **Please leave a review and tell me what your thoughts are. I'm looking forward to them.**

 **I apologize for any grammar errors. Trying to make corrections as I work on this.**

 **See you guys in Chapter 7!**


	7. Reading Chapter Two

**The Unknown Hero**

* * *

 **I figured it was about time I updated this one, so I decided to get right to it. Surprising, this story is the number one most requested to be updated. More so than Redemption. WOW!**

 **Sorry for the long wait, I know people are dying to see what happens next.**

 **Thank you for the amazing reviews and support for this story. It means a lot to me.**

 **I apologize for any grammar mistakes and/or continuity errors.**

 **Enjoy Chapter 7! Or the** _ **official**_ **chapter seven, not the net neutrality one, which I think we ended up losing that battle. Because corporations must control and put a price-tag on everything these days (or has it always been like that?).**

 **Anyway, enjoy the Official Chapter 7! ;)**

* * *

 **Chapter Seven:**

 **Reading Chapter Two**

* * *

It had been a long time since Dumbledore was legitimately surprised to this degree, let alone this shocked. Not since his personal war with Grindelwald had he experienced anything like this before. But this was a whole new experience that out did the rest of them.

He sat in his chair, staring off into the corner of his office, with the book on his desk. He had read through the whole thing in one night, not getting a single second of sleep. Not even finishing it had offered him the chance to rest.

New revelations had been revealed, answering several questions that the old wizard wished to know. But they also raised new ones as well. Questions that he desperately wanted answered.

He questioned whether to reveal this information to the school or to allow for the students to find out for themselves.

And then there was the question of the rest of the Wizarding World. In just the course of a few days, Severus Snape had become the number one topic of everything. So, it was no surprise that people would be demanding answers. And with what he had read, they would demand even more than just questions.

Seeing the sun rise in the distance, he got up and promised himself to rest later. For now, he had work to do.

* * *

Alastor _'Mad-Eye'_ Moody dropped the book once he reached a certain section of it. His mouth hung open, his arms shaking at the revelation. He was almost to the end, but he couldn't continue without unleashing his feelings in private.

He stayed the whole night in his office, reading the copy of the book he received from Dumbledore, figuring he would sleep through his whole day off at home. Or even on the small sofa next to his desk.

But after this, he was now doubting he'll be getting any sleep.

Getting up from his chair with a heavy sigh, he exited his office and walked directly for the Minister's office, passing the secretary as she protested. He opened the door and walked on in, closing it behind him as he watched Minister Harold Minchum rise from his seat, surprised.

"Moody? What are you doing here at this hour?"

Tapping the rug with his staff, he approached the desk, "Clear your schedule, you'll want to hear this from Dumbledore. As I'm sure he already knows by now."

The Mininster raised an eyebrow before nodding once realizing how serious he was, grabbing his jacket.

"What about?"

"You'll see."

The two left the office, using the Ministry's Floo Network to access Hogwart's.

* * *

Everyone rushed to the Great Hall for dinner, waiting for the next read to the chapter of the book. Excited or dreadful, they all waited for the Headmaster to begin the next read. Several journalists and news reporters had returned for the event as well.

However, they were met with surprise when the Headmaster wasn't there for a large portion of the dinner.

Lily and James took notice of this, taking a chance to walk up to the high table together.

"Professor?" Lily asked McGonagall. "Is everything alright? The students are eager for the Headmaster to read the next chapter."

McGonagall turned away from her conversation with an Auror, sadly smiling, "Everything's fine, dear. The Headmaster is in a meeting with Moody and Minister Minchum."

"The Minister of Magic is here?" James cut in.

McGonagall nodded, "It seems rather urgent. They've been in Dumbledore's office almost all day. I'll be back. Please keep everyone under control while I'm gone."

The two watched as the old witch walked away, anxious.

"Well, I think the kids are in for a real let down."

"Shut up, James! This is serious! Why would the Minister be here?"

"Maybe to be here for the show?"

Lily rolled her eyes, "No, this is different. Something else is going on."

James nudged her shoulder, wearing his trademark smirk, "Come on, let's get back to them before the chaos starts."

Nodding, the two heading back to their table, immediately being questioned by everyone as the Great Hall got louder, trying with difficulty to keep the peace.

Almost twenty minutes later, McGonagall reappeared with Dumbledore in tow, wearing serious faces.

Standing in front of the Hall, Dumbledore silenced the students with a wave of his arm, "I apologize for the late start in reading the next chapter. Something major has come up that involves my immediate attention. As such, Professor McGonagall has agreed to read the next chapter in my place."

Everyone began to clap as Dumbledore left the Great Hall, but not before handing the book over to McGonagall, who sat down in a comfy chair directly in front of the audience.

Clearing her throat, she began.

 _ **Chapter Two: The New Defense Teacher**_

"Oh, I remember that guy!"

"He was so hot!"

"Shut up!"

 _ **The arrival at Hogwarts had proved to be the best part of his return as Severus sat his trunk down with the rest of the others at the entrance of the castle, casting a few protection and locking spells in case anyone got the idea to look through his things.**_

Lily smiled, sadly.

 _ **He ignored the others around him as he joined the rest of the students in the Great Hall for the Feast, taking his seat next to some sixth years at the Slytherin table. He paid no attention to the Sorting selection, instead lost in his own mind. He even ate very little.**_

"Geez! No wonder he was so skinny."

 _ **The whole time he kept his attention away from the Gryffindor table, unable to bring himself to look at her.**_

Lily could feel the eyes of a lot of students on her, blushing as she looked away.

 _ **When it finally came to the Headmaster's speech, Severus was brought out of his thoughts and back to the real world, turning his attention to the front of the Great Hall, forced to watch Albus Dumbledore begin his welco3 speech to the school.**_

" _ **Welcome back to another school year, my dear students. And welcome to first years who have taken the place of those who have left us just the month before-"**_

 _ **Severus turned his attention to the teachers at the main table that overlooked the Great Hall, having no interest to rehear the same lecture that the Headmaster always started off with.**_

Sirius rolled his eyes, "No respect, I tell ya!"

A few Gryffindors laughed.

 _ **His interest was who was going to be the new Defense Against The Dark Arts professor-**_

"Of course!" Sirius added.

 _ **-since there was always someone new every year. His eye quickly found the new teacher and his interest spiked at the man in the chair as he studied him from afar.**_

 _ **His hair was white and his skin of a tanned color. He wore the appropriate professor robes and sat firm in his seat, eyes on the Headmaster as he listened along with everyone else. Even from where he was, Severus could tell that the man was athletic in nature, despite the robes that concealed this fact. There was a sense of confidence and authority to him, yet also calm. A fact that made him more interested in him.**_

"Same," said a fifth year Ravenclaw witch, earning a laugh from everyone.

' _ **Maybe this year's Defense will be good after all', he thought.**_

" _ **-may I now introduce our new Defense Against The Dark Arts teacher, Derick Ironwood!"**_

 _ **Teachers and students clapped as the DADA professor stood up and bowed before taking his seat again.**_

 _ **As everyone calmed down, Severus kept his attention on the man while Dumbledore continued, nearing the end of his speech and the Feast itself. Suddenly, the man's eyes looked directly at him without warning, their eyes interlocked. He quickly turned away as his face lit red, feeling his stare from afar without having to look back.**_

"Well, that was creepy," said a fourth-year Hufflepuff wizard.

 _ **Soon, the man looked away as the Headmaster clapped his hands and wished the students a goodnight, bringing the Feast to a close as the Perfects began leading the first years out of the Great Hall. When it was their turn to leave, Severus rushed his way through the crowd, refusing to look back towards the high table in fear of the man noticing him again.**_

"Can't say I blame him," said the same Hufflepuff.

Sirius scoffed, "It's just Snivellus being a coward."

Some cast a few glares at him.

 _ **He barely acknowledged his dormmates as he prepared for bed and set up his belongings in the proper matter he was used to, ignoring the teasing remarks from Mulciber, Avery, and Nott.**_

The very mention of those names caused many to glare at the book.

 _ **Even as he got into bed and tried to fall asleep, his mind kept returning to the Defense teacher and the stare they shared. A stare that shook him to his core, unsettling him in ways that no one else had been able to do before. But it also built upon his interest in the man, feeling both terrified and excited for the first DADA session of tomorrow.**_

 _ **Severus was literally the first one in the DADA class-**_

"No surprise there," Sirius cried out.

 _ **-setting up his little section in the back of the room, finishing just as others joined. As usual, the Marauders were the last through the doors, just barely making it in time. He paid no attention to them or the redhead who had taken her place in the front.**_

Lily closed her eyes, wishing the book wouldn't mention her, especially in that way. She could feel more eyes on her.

 _ **Professor Derick entered the classroom from his back office, setting a couple of papers down on his desk as he presented himself in front of the students. This time around he was dressed in robes that were barely appropriate for a professor, though Severus figured was most likely due to how hot it was. He sneered at how the young witches whispered and gossiped amongst each other, admiring how the robes hugged his athletic body, including the chest.**_

"Only because he was so hot!" a Ravenclaw cried out.

Many witches cheered with her.

" _ **Good morning," he announced, silencing the room with his erotic voice. "As the Headmaster has already informed you, I am Professor Derick Ironwood. And no, my surname has no connection to the ancient Ironwood family, just a coincidence."**_

 _ **Severus heard several of his housemates' growl in disapproval.**_

Once again, many were glaring at the book.

" _ **I will be teaching this year's Defense Against The Dark Arts, a position I am very proud to have. All I ask of you is to try your best and be on your best behavior." He looked in the Marauders direction, an act that surprised Severus.**_

"Why us?" Pettigrew asked, earning a slap on the head by Sirius and eye rolls by many, including Lupin. "Hey!"

" _ **Let us begin with the basics. Who understands what the Defense Against The Dark Arts is?"**_

 _ **Several hands rose.**_

 ** _Ironwood signaled out a Ravenclaw girl._**

" _ **Defense Against The Dark Arts is the training of students to defend themselves against Dark Magic."**_

"Oh, that was me!"

 _ **Ironwood nodded, "Correct! However, that is just part of what this class teaches. Yes, defending one's self against Dark Magic is essential, but it's also to help one understand the nature of Dark Magic and the Arts that come with it."**_

 _ **Severus noticed the Marauders whispering to each other.**_

"Really didn't like that guy," Sirius whispered.

"You don't say," Mary McDonald replied.

" _ **In order to know how to combat something, you must understand what it is that you will be fighting. There is more dangerous magic than the Unforgivables, some of which that makes the Killing Curse preferable. Now, who can tell me what the Unforgivable Curses are?"**_

 _ **A Hufflepuff wizard was chosen, "There are three Unforgiveables, the first is the Killing Curse, which can kill a victim upon impact. The second is the Cruciatus Curse, able to inflict excruciating pain upon the victim. And the third is the Imperius Curse, able to force a victim to commit horrible crimes against their will."**_

" _ **And what are the crimes of using any of these Unforgivables?"**_

" _ **A life-sentence to Azkaban or a Kiss from a Dementor."**_

" _ **Very good!"**_

 _ **Severus's attention was on the professor as the class went on, finding a sense of respect for the man who held such authority over his class, while also being so inviting. He felt a sense of jealousy towards him as he listened to him. And all too soon, the class came to an end.**_

" _ **Tomorrow we will begin our studies on different defense training exercises, so remember to bring your wands."**_

 _ **Severus was surprised by how quickly they were already moving into the physical part of the training. He watched from behind as Lily exited the room with her friends, his heart sinking in his chest by how she passed him once again without acknowledging him-**_

Lily felt tears coming ahead as she lowered her head into her hands, being comforted by her friends.

"It's fine, Lily."

"No one blames you."

 _ **-and in his moment of distraction, he felt something hit his back as he fell to the floor, his books landing next to him.**_

"What happened?"

" _ **Gotta watch your back, Snivellus!" he heard Sirius Black cry out.**_

Several students began moaning.

"Really?!"

" _ **Yeah," James Potter laughed. "And here I thought you were supposed to know about this stuff. Must not be as smart as you think you are."**_

 _ **Severus's face burned with anger, quickly getting to his feet as he reached for his wand.**_

" _ **Mr. Black and Mr. Potter!" a voice called out from behind them, stopping Severus in his attempt. "I will not tolerate such behavior in this classroom!"**_

"About time!" someone cried out.

" _ **It wasn't us, sir!"**_

"Yes, it was!"

"How do you know?" Sirius fired back.

"Who else could it be?!"

 _ **Black raised his hands as they turned towards Professor Derick, who was glaring at them.**_

" _ **Yeah, we just saw Snivellus fall," Potter added, smirking at Severus from the side.**_

"Sure!" someone whispered.

" _ **Responsible or not, your remarks are not appreciated, nor necessary!" the professor approached hands behind his back.**_

 _ **Remus stepped in, "I apologize, Professor. My friends meant no harm, it won't happen again."**_

"Oh, so now you step in!" a sixth year Slytherin cried out.

"Hey, you leave Lupin alone!" Sirius glared at him.

"You leave _him_ alone!"

"He's not here anymore!"

"STUDENTS!" McGonagall glared at them before resuming.

 _ **The professor eyed the Gryffindor with a look that questioned his conviction before nodding, "See to it that you make sure."**_

 _ **Lupin swallowed as he bowed and ushered his friends away, who was annoyed with him.**_

 _ **Both Severus and the professor watched as Marauders left the classroom, already having forgotten what had transpired. Severus saw his opportunity to hex Potter with his back turned, raising his wand as his heartbeat excitingly against his chest.**_

"Oh no."

"Don't do it."

 _ **He was close to crying out the hex until a firm hand touched his arm, abruptly stopping him. Turning towards the source, he saw the Defense teacher staring at him with an expression that confused him. It wasn't of disgust or disapproval; it was a mix of different emotions he had never seen been expressed towards him before.**_

 _ **The professor then reached down and picked up his books, handing them over to him in a neat fashion.**_

"That was nice of him," said a second-year Gryffindor witch.

"Unlike them," a same year wizard whispered next to her.

" _ **I believe you have Professor McGonagall's class next. Wouldn't want to upset her by being late."**_

"I agree," McGonagall added as the audience laughed.

 _ **Taken back by his actions, Severus shook his head and put away his wand, taking his books from him as he quickly walked out of the classroom, his face burning with embarrassment as he felt the professor's eyes on him.**_

"Seriously, that's super creepy.

 _ **The rest of the day passed almost in a blink of an eye.**_

 _ **Severus sat at the Slytherin table as he did his homework and ate what little food there was on his plate, trying his hardest to keep his mind occupied. Occasionally he would look towards the high table and see Professor Derick eating his dinner, while also having some conversations with the other professors.**_

" _ **So, we saw what had happened in Defense class," said Avery as he bumped Severus's shoulder.**_

Some began to moan again.

 _ **Severus slightly shoved him, "Bugger off! I'm trying to work!"**_

"Yeah!"

" _ **While stealing some glances at the new professor?" Avery raised an eyebrow. "Speaking of which, does anyone know anything about this new guy?"**_

 _ **Mulciber shrugged as he ate his food, "Apparently… he's just some… random wizard that… the Headmaster… hired… for the… year…"**_

" _ **Stop talking with your mouth open!" Nott slapped him on the back of the head, nearly making him choke. "It's bad for ya!"**_

" _ **But the question remains… is he pureblood or half-blood?"**_

" _ **Most likely a mudblood,"**_

The very word made many glare at the book again.

"I seriously hate them!"

 _ **Avery took a drink from his beverage.**_

" _ **Nah, I highly doubt it. He has some pureblood manners."**_

" _ **But… anyone could… have taught him… that…" said Mulciber.**_

" _ **True, but even if he's half-blood, he could be useful if he's willing to join."**_

Students were glaring again.

 _ **Severus sneered, "Now is not the time to talk about this!"**_

" _ **Talk about what?" Regulus Black sat down right next to Severus, beginning to dig into the food on the table.**_

"Of course, he would be in this!" Sirius complained, searching for his brother, only to see that he was nowhere in sight.

Other noticed as well, including several Slytherins.

" _ **Oh, just a potential new recruit," Avery replied.**_

" _ **The new professor?!"**_

" _ **No, Dumbledore!"**_

 _ **Regulus laughed, "Now that would be impressive. If only you had the charms to do so."**_

"No chance in hell!" someone growled.

" _ **What's that supposed to mean?"**_

 _ **Severus slammed his fists on the table, startling them as he grabbed his things and got up, ignoring their confused expression as he stomped off.**_

"Thank you!"

 _ **As he walked towards the exit of the Great Hall, he slowed down as he felt uneasy, turning to see the Defense professor looking directly at him, his expression unreadable.**_

"I'm getting stranger danger alerts."

Many laughed.

 _ **Feeling his face heat up, he turned away and hurried back to the dungeons, having had enough for one night.**_

"Same!"

 _ **The next week turned out to be stranger than Severus had ever thought it could be.**_

"Kinda surprised it isn't normal by this point."

 _ **The day after his encounter with the Defense professor was a lot better, staying under the Marauders', but not without effort. The weekend was easy enough, deciding to remain in his dorm room, even having dinner on his bed as he studied and experimented with his notes on potions.**_

 _ **But it was the week that followed that proved to be more difficult.**_

 _ **The Marauders were out to hex and insult him more so than they've ever had before, especially with how no one was coming to his defense anymore.**_

The Marauders could feel the glare of so many eyes on them, while Lily struggled to control herself with the help of her friends.

 _ **They would strike in the classrooms whenever the teachers weren't looking, using hexes that wouldn't cause any suspicion. They would strike in the hallways, where they didn't have to worry about being caught or anyone ratting them out.**_

"Really wish I had!" someone admitted.

 _ **But it was surprisingly the DADA's classroom where he found some form of a haven from his attackers. The last time the Marauders' pulled a prank on him, which was making his seat wet, the professor had noticed and called them out in front of the whole class, taking away points and threating detention for a whole week and higher point loss if they continued.**_

 _ **Severus sneered at the dumbstruck faces of Potter and Black, their pride wounded at being caught and already costing their house twenty points.**_

Both Sirius and James glared at the book.

 _ **And from that day on, the Marauders made no attempts to attack him when it was time for Derick Ironwood's class.**_

 _ **But with one problem slightly solved, also came a new one that he wasn't prepared for.**_

"Like what?" someone asked.

 _ **There were times when he would feel someone watching him from distance, whether it be in the DADA class, the Great Hall or in the hallways.**_

"Gee, I wonder who that could be," said a fifth year Ravenclaw wizard.

 _ **It wasn't for a long period of time, or at least as far as he knew, but rather at random times and only for a few seconds. He singled out the professor as the one behind these moments, sometimes catching him in the act. But they were never moments of suspicion or accusing looks, rather curiosity and concern. Of what, he didn't know.**_

"Us too!"

 _ **On the plus side, this year's Defense class was turning out to be the most interesting than he had ever experienced in his almost six years at Hogwarts. The professor had made the decision to make the classes more physical based, rearranging the classroom to be a training room instead of one with desks. They were currently working with the basics of magic and how to use strategy. Watching others have a go at it gave Severus some perspective, though he was more focused on what they were doing wrong and sneering at how they seemed to fail in learning from their mistakes.**_

Many rolled their eyes.

 _ **They were currently working on one-on-one combat, with two students chosen to duel each other with non-lethal attacks and defense. Severus got a few duels in, while the Marauders taunted and distracted him, earning the loss of points in the process. Why the professor hadn't given them detention for it, he was trying to comprehend.**_

"Yeah, us too!"

 _ **But for the most part, he was rather enjoying the teachings the professor was going with. It made him wish to see the man in action sometime.**_

 _ **But it was on Friday, a week and a half into his sixth year that proved to be the worst day yet.**_

"Oh great!"

 _ **It was to be the final day of single one-on-one combat before they would move on to multiple one-on-one training sessions. Everything was going fine until the professor decided to match him with someone he didn't expect to face.**_

" _ **Alright, for our final match of the day, let's have a little Slytherin versus Gryffindor action," the professor eyed Severus for a single second. "Severus Snape, James Potter! Step up and take your positions."**_

"Because we haven't gotten enough them going at it!"

"Or them going after him!"

The Marauders were suddenly under the glare once more.

 _ **Everyone began whispering at the chosen selection, though Potter, Black, and Pettigrew were smiling like idiots. The sight of the three only fueled the anger in his heart as Severus grabbed his wand and walked out onto the mat with confidence. Potter did the same, winking in the direction of the redhead girl.**_

" _ **This is for you, darling," he winked, earning a blush from her.**_

"Really, Potter?!" someone yelled out.

"What I do?" Potter exclaimed.

"What didn't you do!"

 _ **The sight made Severus's vision become clouded with red, his attention solely on the Gryffindor. Memories of his past torment by the arrogant teen flowed through his mind. He got into his stance and prepared to cast the first spell that came to mind, just barely mustering up enough restraint to await the professor's go ahead.**_

 _ **Potter smiled at Severus, taunting him.**_

"Sure, why not?!"

 _ **The professor stood a couple of feet away from the center of them and cried out, "FIGHT!"**_

 _ **The adrenaline was enough for him to make the first strike, catching the Gryffindor off guard as he went for his second attack. But-**_

Some gasped.

 _ **-his opponent was quick to recover and sent a stunning spell at him, hitting him in the chest as he was thrown backwards onto the mat.**_

"Oh no!"

" _ **Laughter echoed around him-**_

Many blushed, including Lily.

 _ **-giving him the strength to get back up and cast another spell, once again catching his enemy off guard at his quick recovery. His attempt at a second attack was interrupted by the feel of something hitting him on his backside, forcing him onto his knees.**_

"Has to be Black!"

"Why me!" Sirius raised his arms in frustration

"How could it not be?!"

"Wanna bet?" another student pulled out some galleons.

"You're on!"

 _ **The professor turned in the direction of where it had supposedly come from but saw no one there except piled up desks and chairs, frowning. He turned to where Lupin and Pettigrew were standing, finding Sirius Black among them as he was shoving something into his bag.**_

"Give it up!"

The other student handed him the money before the two glared at Sirius.

"What?!" Black smiled, sheepishly. "I made one of you rich."

 _ **Lupin glared at Black, whispering something in his ear.**_

Some were rolling their eyes and/or shaking their heads.

 _ **Severus was also looking for the source of where the hex came from, unaware of another stunning spell heading right at him.**_

"Because, of course, Potter has to do it!"

"It's a match!" Potter tried to defend himself.

 _ **He barely felt the impact as he fell onto the mat again, his mind swimming in an ocean of anger, confusion, and embarrassment. He heard laughter as he leaned up, his vision slowly becoming clear as he saw everyone laughing at him, including his own dormmates and a certain redhead who was trying to hide her smirk.**_

Lily began to sob harder as she got up and ran out of the Great Hall, with everyone watching her retreating figure.

James got up and ran after her.

Sirius tried to follow, only for Remus to place his hand on his shoulder, shaking his head.

McGonagall resumed, with hesitation.

 _ **He realized why when he looked down and saw that his school robes had been torn, exposing his undergarments. The laughter echoed in his ears as he looked up at Potter, who was laughing the loudest out of everyone and pointing at him, almost holding his stomach as his face turned red.**_

" _ **Looks like Snivellus doesn't carry much under there."**_

Many were booing and sending Black some death-glares.

"I didn't say it!"

 _ **Everything became non-existent to him, the sound of laughter no longer reaching his ears, his eyes seeing nothing but his target. He slowly rose from the ground, face almost as red as blood, eyes burning with the desire of vengeance. He didn't even bother with his torn robes, only lifting his wand up and pointing it directly at the unexpecting Gryffindor just a couple of feet away from him.**_

"Oh no!"

"Do it!"

 _ **No one expected of what he was going to do next… except for one.**_

" _ **S-"**_

" _ **EXPELLIARMUS!"**_

"Thank you!"

"Oh, come on!"

 _ **Severus felt his wand fly out of his hand, shocking him out of his anger as he turned towards the person who had disarmed him, only to see the professor holding his wand at him.**_

 _ **The professor's face was filled with worry and relief, sighing as he lowered his wand and turned to the other students.**_

" _ **Class is dismissed," he declared. "Potter, Snape, you two will stay. The rest of you are excused for the day."**_

 _ **Everyone was hesitant to leave at first, until a small few started to pick up their school books and hurry out of the classroom, quickly being followed by everyone else. It was soon just the three of them, standing in silence.**_

" _ **Mr. Potter," the professor looked at the Gryffindor. "I am most disappointed in you."**_

" _ **But sir, he attacked-"**_

Some were shaking their heads.

" _ **Mr. Snape retaliated because your 'friend' intervened and because of your need a to humiliate him." He used his wand to repair the damage to Severus's robes, surprising him. "And you took it upon yourself to trigger him through means you knew would affect him."**_

" _ **But he attacked first!" Potter snarled.**_

"Shut up, cheater!"

" _ **Which I will address, but I'm not talking about his mistakes."**_

" _ **But I did nothing-"**_

"Bulls-"

"Ahem!" McGonagall cleared her throat.

" _ **The fact you don't understand is part of the reason. I may not be able to hold Black responsible for the stunt that he had pulled, but I can do so with you." He paused, stepping in front of the Gryffindor. "50 points from Gryffindor and a full week's detention."**_

" _ **But I have Quidditch practice!"**_

"So?!"

" _ **Then you better find another time to practice."**_

"Yeah!"

 _ **Severus sneered, his heart leaping with joy as he struggled to contain himself from crying out at the sight of Potter's face until the professor turned to him next.**_

" _ **Mr. Snape, while I understand that your emotions were getting the better of you, it's for that reason why I must give you a full week's detention as well, including 25 points from Slytherin."**_

"Why him?!"

 _ **Severus was speechless, all thoughts halting as he tried to process what he had just heard. The points mattered nothing to him, only that he had received punishment for something that that wasn't even his doing.**_

" _ **Sir-" he stuttered with his words, "it… it was him…"**_

" _ **I am fully aware of that, Mr. Snape!" the professor raised his voice. "Mr. Potter received his detention for what he and his friend did-"**_

" _ **THIS ISN'T FAIR!" a voice cried out, catching the attention of the two.**_

"Wow!"

"I say its fair for all the crap Snape had to deal with!"

"Yeah!"

 _ **James Potter's shocked expression was now replaced with anger and resentment.**_

" _ **I wasn't the one who did that to Sniv's robes, nor do I know who did-"**_

"Oh, take it up with the judge!"

" _ **Mr. Potter!"**_

" _ **And you punish me for it after Snivellus tried to use some Dark Magic on me!"**_

"How do you know?!"

" _ **So, you believe that Mr. Snape deserved it?" Severus could hear the hint of anger in his voice.**_

" _ **YES!"**_

Many were speechless as they glared at the book.

Sirius, Remus, and Peter were glad that James had left during this moment.

" _ **Why?"**_

"Good freaking question!"

 _ **Potter paused, unsure how to respond until he looked at Severus and smiled, "Because he exists."**_

The comment left many with different expressions, ranging from confusion to anger.

 _ **How long time passed at that moment was unknown to him, the only thing he remembered was that his anger immediately resurfaced like boiling water from a hot spring. His vision turned red and his surroundings no longer seemed to be there. The words echoed in his head, reopening barely healed wounds that brought forth a memory that added salt to it.**_

' _ **It's because of the fact that he exists-'**_

 _ **He thought he heard someone screaming and another voice crying out in protest, but none of it registered with him. He felt himself moving quickly towards Potter, who was caught off guard, with a hint of fear. It took him a split second to realize what was happening before feeling his thin, weak body colliding with one that was the opposite of him yet managing to bring them to the ground.**_

"Get him!"

 _ **He saw and felt a pair of fists punching Potter in his cheekbone until a pair of hands grabbed him by the shoulders and pulled him off, bringing him to his feet as he saw the professor staring at him with a worried, shocked look. A look that stopped him from diving back at the boy with a bleeding nose on the ground. He saw that look before, on someone else who wasn't supposed to wear it.**_

Some understood.

 _ **The professor turned to Potter and knelt, using a spell to fix the Gryffindor's broken nose as he helped him up.**_

"Why help him?"

"Should have made him do it himself."

" _ **Report to Professor McGonagall about your two weeks detention, Mr. Potter. I'll know if you have any ideas on 'accidentally' missing her office."**_

" _ **TWO WEEKS?!" Potter's mouth hung open, appalled.**_

"I'm just appalled it isn't higher."

" _ **Yes, Mr. Potter, two weeks. For the 'exist' remark that you explained to me."**_

" _ **But he attacked me!"**_

"You deserved it!"

 _ **The professor glared at him, "Be thankful it isn't higher-**_

Some turned to the student who had said the same similar line earlier, who sheepishly smiled.

" _ **-as for you Mr. Snape, report to Professor Slughorn about your one-month detention."**_

"One month!"

"Why is he getting all of the punishment?!"

"Well, he did punch him."

"So?!"

 _ **Severus's eyes widened, but his mouth failed his attempt at protest, still reeling from the look he had seen on the professor's face. He instead nodded without meaning to, looking away as he saw Potter stomping away in anger from the corner of his eye. He should have been angry too, but something inside of him stirred, shaking his core. Something he hadn't felt since-**_

" _ **Mr. Snape," a voice brought him out of his thoughts. "I've decided that your detention will be spent with me, Monday through Friday before dinner. Starting tonight, of course."**_

 _ **Severus gave no reply as he picked up his wand and school books, hurrying out of the classroom to report to Slughorn before his next class with McGonagall.**_

"Man, how much longer is this chapter?"

"I'm not so sure I can take much more."

 _ **The moment the last class drew to a close, Severus hurried out to serve his first detention with Professor Ironwood, surprisingly not running into any of the Marauders along the way, which he was thankful for. But he quickly found out why once he was within reach of the double doors to the DADA classroom.**_

" _ **-attacked me!"**_

" _ **Mr. Potter, please calm down."**_

"What's happening?"

 _ **Severus's hand stopped on the knob and froze, realizing how was in the classroom and why. He set his books down and pressed his ear against the door.**_

" _ **Ironwood, I know that Potter and his friends have been known to cause trouble every once and a while, but wouldn't you consider this a little harsh?"**_

"What?"

"A little too harsh?"

 _ **Anger rose inside of him, sneering at the Headmaster.**_

" _ **It's for these repeated 'troubles' that I was forced to hand out punishment to Mr. Potter, Headmaster."**_

" _ **Please, call me Dumbledore. No need for that kind of pleasantries."**_

" _ **Very well, sir. But about Potter's detention, I believe it is reasonable that two weeks is justifiable. He insulted Mr. Snape twice, both of which were unprovoked and uncalled for. I've warned him plenty of times to keep to himself and he's constantly ignored them."**_

"And he's done a lot more than that."

 _ **Severus could imagine the Headmaster nodding.**_

" _ **I understand, but two weeks is a little too much for such insults.**_

"Insults?!"

" _ **I think one week of detention is enough. And punishing him for an unprovoked attack that his friend may or may not have committed would be unfair, wouldn't you say?"**_

"Unprovoked?"

"Unfair?"

"May or may not have committed?"

 _ **There was a pause before Ironwood sighed, "Of course."**_

" _ **Very good. Mr. Potter will serve detention with Professor McGonagall until the end of next week."**_

"Only one week?!"

"This is bull-" one look from McGonagall stopped the wizard.

" _ **But sir, I've got Quidditch practice in the afternoon."**_

"Is that all he cares about?"

" _ **I'll have a talk with the Captain and see what we can do to reschedule training hours around your detention."**_

"WHAT?!" many exclaimed at the same time.

 _ **Severus was appalled, yet not so surprised. It took everything he had not to throw open the doors and protest.**_

" _ **Thank you, sir. It means a lot to me and the team."**_

"Screw you, Potter!"

" _ **Run along for your detention with McGonagall. I'll make sure training starts just after you get done."**_

"It should have started without him!"

 _ **Hearing fast footsteps approach, Severus moved out of the way as James Potter exited the classroom and kept walking, not noticing him as he pressed on without a worry in the world. He reached for his wand as he saw his chance to hit him in the back until he heard the conversation inside resume.**_

" _ **Dumbledore, may I speak freely?"**_

 _ **Curious, Severus approached the open door and leaned against the coldness of the brick wall.**_

" _ **Of course."**_

" _ **I admit that I was wrong in punishing Mr. Potter for something that he didn't do, even if he was aware of it or not-"**_

"What?!"

"Seriously?!"

" _ **-but his continuing insults and attacks on Mr. Snape are becoming more of a problem for the both of them than you realize."**_

" _ **Care to explain?"**_

 _ **Severus heard Ironwood sigh, "I've seen this sort of thing before and I'm aware of what it can lead to if not addressed or resolved. I gave Mr. Potter detention, not just as a punishment, but as a warning to stop doing these 'pranks' as he likes to call them."**_

" _ **They're harmless acts of children, Ironwood."**_

"Harmless?!"

"Children?! They're sixteen, not six!"

" _ **It's a role they won't have forever."**_

 _ **Ironwood chuckled, almost as if he was reminded of a similar saying from someone else.**_

"Who?"

" _ **Maybe once upon a time they were harmless, but there are different kinds of harm that the two of us know more about than most."**_

Many were curious by this statement.

 _ **There was a pause, one that Severus could feel the tension from.**_

" _ **Whoever used the slicing spell to cut Mr. Snape's robes may not have been looking to physically harm him-"**_

"Sure, _he_ wasn't!"

"Hey, I didn't harm him!"

"So, you admit it."

Sirius scoffed as he looked away.

" _ **-but they knew that it would humiliate him in front of the whole class."**_

" _ **Whether or not Mr. Black was the one who did it remains to be seen."**_

" _ **Checking his wand would tell us."**_

"Do that!"

"They won't."

" _ **It'll be useless. He could have been using it to cut something or he would have used someone else's."**_

" _ **But you know, don't you? Yet you do nothing to address it."**_

If glares could melt things, the book would have been incinerated.

 _ **There was an uncomfortable silence between the two.**_

" _ **May I ask why you've taken such an interest in Mr. Snape? There are plenty of others who are pranked by Mr. Potter and his friends, yet this one seems to favor your sympathy."**_

 _ **Severus sneered.**_

" _ **It's not just sympathy, it's a concern."**_

" ** _A c_** _ **oncern?"**_

" _ **Yes," Ironwood took a step forward.**_

" _ **Mr. Ironwood, I don't know how much you know about the current state of things in the Wizarding World, but I am sure you are aware of the Death Eater campaign and the one who leads them."**_

" _ **Voldemort. Yes, I'm familiar with him."**_

The name made people flinch.

 _ **Severus froze at the mention of the name, fear piercing his heart.**_

 _ **Dumbledore's voice had a hint of surprise, "I see you don't fear his name."**_

" _ **It's just a name. He may think he is fear incarnate, but he is nothing more than a pretender."**_

" _ **Then you must be aware that Voldemort-"**_

Many flinched again.

" _ **-gains his followers through the House of Slytherin, a house that Mr. Snape is in."**_

" _ **I'm well aware."**_

" _ **I don't think you do," Dumbledore sighed. "Mr. Snape has always been a… troubled child-"**_

 _ **Severus sneered, biting on his tongue to keep quiet.**_

" _ **Ever since he walked through those doors of this school, he has been keen on joining him."**_

"That's true."

Some were nodding, which made Sirius smile.

" _ **He's had his fair share of committing insults and attacks against others, not just the Marauders."**_

"Thank you!" Sirius exclaimed.

 _ **He paused.**_

" _ **There was an incident last year-"**_

" _ **Yes, I am aware of that too. I know what he is aspiring to become, but I don't believe he truly understands what exactly it is that he wants."**_

 _ **Severus sneered, feeling the twist of insult.**_

" _ **It's normal for someone of his age to not truly understand anything he hasn't experienced."**_

" _ **That's my point. You may look at him and see someone who is lost, but I see someone who is in dire need of help, someone who has never received it."**_

" _ **Help is given to those who deserve it."**_

"True," some muttered.

" _ **And who gets to decide who deserve it?"**_

Many were caught off guard by the statement.

 _ **Silence followed, making Severus anxious.**_

" _ **I've come across those who didn't deserve help in my lifetime, but I've also come across others who helped them regardless. Some failed in their attempts, but it was those who succeeded where others didn't who taught me that if you don't try you've already failed."**_

"Damn, that was a good line."

A few nodded.

" _ **And you believe that you can succeed with Mr. Snape."**_

" _ **Only one way to find out."**_

 _ **Dumbledore chuckled, "Miss Evans tried."**_

" _ **I am not her."**_

"OH!"

" _ **Regardless, how does this relate to Mr. Snape and Mr. Potter?"**_

"Um, that's a good question."

 _ **Ironwood sighed, "My student will be arriving for his detention. There's plenty of grading to be done, so apologies if you don't see us at dinner."**_

 _ **Peeking into the room, he saw the Headmaster standing in front of Ironwood, sighing, "Good afternoon, Ironwood. And may you have a good weekend."**_

" _ **As to you, Dumbledore."**_

 _ **Moving out of the way as the Headmaster walked out of the classroom, Severus remained in the shadows, waiting until the old man was out of sight before entering the classroom, where he found the professor waiting for him, leaning against the edge of his desk.**_

" _ **Curiosity may be a sign of intelligence, Mr. Snape. But one would argue against listening to one's private conversations."**_

"How did he know?"

"This dude is creepy."

"And hot."

 _ **Anxiety rose in Severus, freezing him where he stood like a deer in headlights.**_

 _ **Ironwood walked around his desk, "Let's get to work."**_

 _ **Recovering himself, Severus nodded and pulled up a chair.**_

" _ **I think it might be better if you sat on the other side. Makes things easier, and there's plenty of room."**_

 _ **Surprised by the invitation, Severus carried the chair around and sat down just within arm's length of the professor, being handed a pile of papers by him as the two worked in silence.**_

"Seriously, how much longer is this chapter?"

"Shhh!"

 _ **A few hours later, Severus's first detention was nearing its completion as he helped the professor file his grading papers and cleaning up the classroom. He felt conflicted about it, one part of him not wanting it to end and the other part wishing to grab something to eat before dinner ended.**_

" _ **Mr. Snape," Ironwood spoke for the first time since they started.**_

 _ **Severus turned to him, "Yes, professor?"**_

" _ **How would you like to receive a chance at extra credit?"**_

 _ **He narrowed his eyes, "Sir?"**_

" _ **Tomorrow, I was thinking of spending my free time watching a movie."**_

"What's a movie?"

" _ **Say what you want about the Muggles, but they've certainly created some great stories in cinema. Think of it like a book that has moving pictures, with color."**_

"Oh!"

" _ **I'm aware of what a movie is!" Severus sneered.**_

"Well, that was rude!"

"What do you expect?" Sirius replied.

" _ **Care to join me?" Ironwood ignored his remark as he wiped the tables clean of dust. "We won't be able to watch it here, for obvious reasons. But I do have a friend in London who has offered her place for me to visit. I'm sure she wouldn't mind if we pop in to watch a movie."**_

"Who is she?"

"What movie?"

 _ **Severus hesitated with his answer, feeling the urge to say no, but his curiosity won out.**_

" _ **So, you'll offer me extra credit for just watching a movie with you?"**_

" _ **No, not just watching a movie. Once done, you'll be given the task of writing an essay about it."**_

" _ **And do you expect me to write about?"**_

" _ **What you think the movie was about, who the main characters are, what lessons you've learned from it. Think of it as learning what's underneath the surface. I'm not expecting a right answer, only your honest opinion. If I think you've clearly gotten something out of it, then I'll reward you the amount of extra credit I see fit."**_

 _ **Severus stared at him as he thought about it, eventually giving in.**_

" _ **Alright, I'll do it."**_

 _ **Ironwood nodded, "Very well. Arrive here at noon, I'll let the Headmaster know that we'll be going to London tomorrow. Until then, you are excused for the night."**_

 _ **Bowing, Severus picked up his things and began to head for the door.**_

" _ **Mr. Snape, one last thing before you go."**_

 _ **Turning around, he saw the professor looking at him with a strange expression.**_

" _ **A man is interviewing three possible candidates for a job. One is disrespectful and not responsible. The second is a respectful man, who takes good care of himself. The third is like the second but has more experience for the job. Who do you think the man interviewing them should choose?"**_

"Well, that's obvious."

"The third guy, obviously."

"Kinda feel bad for the second guy."

 _ **Severus frowned at him, unsure if he was insulting his intelligence or not. Realizing he was waiting for an answer, he replied, "The third."**_

 _ **Ironwood nodded, "Apologies. I was just curious."**_

"Like, seriously, this dude is weird!"

 _ **Nodding back, Severus turned away and walked out of the classroom, feeling uneasy about what he had asked him, yet curious as to why. The answer was so simple, something that a young child could answer without effort. But why ask him that question? It had nothing to do with anything.**_

 _ **Shaking his head, he grabbed some food from the Great Hall before heading down to the dungeons, having had enough for one day. His dormmates tried to talk with him about his detention, managing to ignore them as he thought about the DADA professor, trying to understand him.**_

"Me too!"

"All of us are!"

 _ **As he laid on his bed, eating his food and doing his school work, he thought back to the conversation the professor and the Headmaster had, trying to tie his head around what they were talking about. He felt angry at Ironwood was accusing him of not understanding.**_

 _ **Of course, he understood what he was getting into. He wanted this. He knew that.**_

Many frowned at this.

 _ **But then thoughts of the redhead entered his mind when he remembered the Headmaster mentioned her. Her name appeared in his mind as he fought to push it back, not baring to feel the pain.**_

 _ **As tears filled his eyes, he pushed everything to the side as he laid his head against the pillow and fell to sleep, with an interest in what was to follow the next day.**_

"And that's the end of the chapter!" McGonagall announced as she closed the book.

"Finally!"

"Man, this was depressing!"

"Alright, everyone, time for curfew!" McGonagall declared. "Perfects, please lead everyone back to their respected houses."

As everyone exited the Great Hall, their minds were filled with questions about what they had heard from the book. Some were questioning themselves and the teenage boy they had once known.

Or thought they'd known.

* * *

"This isn't good!"

Regulus was pacing back and forth in the living room as Jessica drank some wine.

"Regulus, calm down."

"Calm down? Calm down?!"

"Seriously, you're going to age yourself ten years if you don't stop. Sit down, have some wine."

He stopped, "I'm underage."

"And?" she raised an eyebrow.

"Oh, fuck it! Fine!"

She smiled as she poured him a small glass, watching as he downed it with one gulp.

"I never should have agreed to this."

"Hey, it won you a date with me in about a year or two."

"Assuming you don't get mar- Gah, this is a nightmare! Now they're going to know my involvement in all of this!"

"No worries! We edited the book, remember?" she poured herself some more wine.

"The stuff involving you and your gang of universe-tra- Whatever you guys are!"

"We prefer the Guardians, thank you very much."

"Sounds like one of those Muggle comics."

"Actually-"

Regulus moaned, "Oh god! What have I done? Severus is going to kill me!"

"Nah! He'll beat the crap out of you and then maybe consider killing you."

"Not helping!" he glared. "We didn't edit out everything that involved me. They'll know what I did, including all of Slytherin and the last surviving Death Eaters. My parents might even disown me."

"You'll be a hero and have all the babes will be all over you. Speaking of which, take a page out of Severus and start building some muscle, including a six-pack. Trust me, you'll be set for life. Hell, I might even consider adding a little _bonus_ to our maybe date."

"Wait, really?"

"Six-pack first, then I'll consider it."

"Oh, I'm definitely getting that six-pack!"

Suddenly, a noise coming from the room with the machine started turning on, making Jessica sigh as she finished her wine and got up, followed by Regulus. Approaching the machine, they waited as the portal lit up and from it came three figures, emerging from the light and onto the platform.

"That was not how it was supposed to go down, Al!" one of them said.

"How was I supposed to know that Prince _What's-His-Name_ was trying to start a war!"

"Al, our mission was to prevent a war, not start another between Dorne and Highgarden!"

"Maybe if our _dark-hooded friends_ hadn't screwed that up, maybe things could have gone better, Ed!"

"Can it, both of you!" a man with white-haired sighed. "What's done is done, we'll figure out how to resolve this later. For now, get to Remnant and help out Tyrion."

Getting their anger under control the two nodded and said at the same time, "Yes, sir!"

The white-haired man powered up the machine and the two walked on through. He turned around and saw Jessica, along with Regulus.

"I didn't realize that you had company over," he rubbed his neck.

"About time!" Jessica growled. "I've been trying to reach you."

"And I've been busy?"

"Where's Severus?"

"On vacation."

Jessica rolled her eyes, "Funny. Seriously, where is he?"

"I wasn't kidding, he's on vacation with Trinity. The two wanted some _alone_ time together. Why do you need to know?"

"And you just let them wander off by themselves?" she raised an eyebrow.

"They have the emergency beacon, and they can handle themselves. What's so important that you need to see him?"

Jessica turned to Regulus, "Tell him."

His eyes widened, "Why me?"

"Because you're in the center of it. Plus, I need a safety net before he explodes."

The man raised an eyebrow.

"Hey, you're the one who decided to do the damn book, not me!"

The white-haired man moaned, "Look, I'm tired and been on a roller coaster of insanity for the past few days, so just tell me before I head back to headquarters. I only came because you needed to see me. So, spill it!"

Regulus smiled, sheepishly, "Well, have you heard of the Triwizard Tournament?"

* * *

 **COMING MAY 10, 2019**

 **Redemption**

 **(The Official) Chapter 19:**

 **Morning Exercise**


	8. Cut Short

**The Unknown Hero**

* * *

 **Managed to write this one ahead of schedule. It won't be as long as the other, but I hope you like it.**

 **Please enjoy Chapter 8!**

* * *

 **Chapter Eight:**

 **Cut Short**

* * *

"Lily! Wait!" James cried out as he ran for her, losing her down the hallway when she turned a corner, disappearing. After a small while of searching, he ran for the Head Boy and Girl Common Room, finding the Marauders map to use it to locate her just outside of the castle. He didn't even bother putting it away as he took off running.

Once outside of the castle, he found Lily under a tree that was near the lake, legs up against her chest, with her arms around them. As he drew closer, he could hear her crying and slowed down his approach, eventually relying on just a small step at a time.

"Lily?" he asked once within reach of her.

She seemed to ignore him, or maybe hadn't heard him.

"Lily?"

This time her head rose, slowly. Her eyes were red, and her face was wet with tears. A sight that broke his heart.

"That's why he left," she whispered.

"What?" James knelt in front of her, confused.

"That's why he left," she replied, though more to herself. "That's why he faked his death. He knew that we would never allow him to have a happy life here, so he left for a new one." She cried some more. "Without telling me."

"Lily, it's not your fault. He's the asshole for not telling you. For leaving you to mourn for him."

"James, just stop!" her voice was a mix of sadness and anger as she looked away.

"What?" he asked.

"Please, just stop trying to comfort me. I don't deserve it."

"Lily, you are not to blame."

"But I am!"

"No-"

"Yes, I am!" she looked at him with anger before reverting to sadness. "You weren't there the last time I spoke to him."

James frowned, "But everyone knows about the night you cut ties with him-"

"No… that wasn't the last time…" she sniffled. "A few days before he… faked his death… he came to me…" more tears fell from her eyes. "The way he spoke was so different that… it scared me… he sounded like he was…"

She was unable to finish as she started to sob, "It's all my fault! I should have been a better friend! I should have forgiven him! And I shouldn't have said…"

"Said what, Lily?"

He didn't get an answer as she rose to her feet, backing away from him.

"Please, just… leave me alone…"

As he rose to his feet, she was already running away from him, back to the castle as thunder echoed in the background, rain beginning to fall from the sky.

* * *

"YOU DID WHAT?!"

Thunder shook the apartment building as the white-haired man cried out, his face red as he turned from Regulus to Jessica.

"I did what I had to do, Derick!" she folded her arms above her breasts, face firm.

Derick approached her, his face directly in front of hers, "You did what you wanted to do! You wanted this to happen!"

"Yes!" she exclaimed! "I wanted them to know! I wanted everything done to him brought to light in a way that they'll never forget!"

"What you've done is a violation of Severus's privacy! You've had no right to create that damn Blood Book! And you've had no right to enter his name into the Goblet of Fire!"

The room shook again as the thunder grew louder, with tense silence mixed in.

Regulus's eyes widened, "What?"

"Do you honestly think that her little plan of creating the Blood Book was just a matter of coincidence? Why do you think she was so keen on going to Jeyne in the first place? She had a way to get in, undetected, and the skills to enter in someone else's name! She knew you would come directly to her! She had this planned!" He kept his eyes locked on Jessica's. "And don't deny it, I know Jeyne was the one to create it! Who else would know how?!"

Jessica remained silent until finally breaking under his glare, "It was for his own good."

"HOW?!" he shouted, making Regulus flinch. "You not only betrayed his trust by creating a book that can spill out all of his private thoughts, or that you've placed him in great danger of the binding contract, but you've also created an even bigger problem than you fail to realize!"

"Oh, come off it, you know the binding contract can't touch him as long as he isn't in this universe!"

"As long as he doesn't come back, you mean! But that's not what I'm talking about!" He stepped closer to her, his face inches from hers. "Who do you think the Death Eaters will come after when his little secret is revealed? Who do they decide must pay for his actions when they can't find him?"

Jessica remained silent, while Regulus backed away.

"Let them!" she declared.

If there was such a way for a face to be as red as cherry, it was proven at that moment.

"WHY DON'T YOU GO ASK SEVERUS AND SEE HOW HE FEELS ABOUT THAT!"

His yell nearly blew out her eardrums, including Regulus's.

After a moment of letting the anger cool, he sighed, "You created this problem, you fix it! I'm not calling him back just to return to a world he left behind a long time ago!"

"He needs this!"

"No, _this_ is what you want! Don't mix the two up just because of your anger towards the mistreatment he received! If anyone is holding onto the past, it's you!"

"Wait, you placed his name in the Goblet?" Regulus regained himself to jump into the conversation. "Why? He had an out. He was free."

"Because he constantly refused to go back on his own. So, I did it for him."

"Enough!" Derick growled. "There are much bigger problems on my list than your little mission to resurrect Severus's past. I'll call him back in, but you must be the one to tell him. Not me. Not Regulus. Not even Jeyne. _You!_ "

Eerie silence passed between them, except for thunder in the background, before Jessica lowered her head and nodded, "Alright."

Derick nodded in return, "Good!"

Suddenly, the machine came to life and two figures appeared from the bright portal, one of them limping.

Derick's eyes widened as he saw two girls emerge, immediately rushing towards the one limping. He took the girl in his arms and held her tight.

"What happened?!" he demanded.

The other girl put away her knife, "She found him! But _they_ were following her the whole time! The moment she went to receive him, they attacked and killed the Leviathans. She managed to escape back to me, but one of them stabbed her."

"Did they get him?!"

The girl shook her head, "No, he escaped to somewhere in the Avatar multiverse. She doesn't know which universe, but she believes it has to be U-19 through U-25."

"That's a lot of ground to cover," said Jessica. "If the orb has indeed bonded with him, there's a chance using its power may show us his exact location."

"But it may also lead them directly to him first," Derick looked at the dark-brownish haired girl in his arm, exchanging smiles as he carried her to a machine in the corner of the room. Laying her down on it, he turned it on, and a glass cover appeared from the cracks on the side, sealing her in. A green mist appeared and began to fill it up.

A minute later, he pressed another button and the green mist was sucked out by the vents on the sides, allowing the glass to slide back into the cracks on it was gone.

"You good?" he asked her.

The girl smiled and used her lower body to launch herself off the machine and land on her feet, touching her healed leg before doing a thumbs up.

"Man, I got to get me one of those!" said a gapping Regulus.

Derick turned to the other girl, "Take her and search for him. They cannot be allowed to find him first."

"Yes, sir!" the girl bowed before turning to the other dark-brown haired girl. "Come on, let's gather some weapons and supplies."

"Don't touch the Mark 6, that's mine!" Jessica called out as the two flipped her off before leaving the room, earning a laugh from Derick and Regulus.

Suddenly, Derick's watch made a sound and began to buzz, making him bring it close to his face as he pressed a button, allowing for a blue hologram of a middle-aged woman to appear.

"Yes."

"I'm sorry for calling at a bad time, but it's urgent," the woman replied.

"What's the matter?"

"Are you alone?"

"No," he eyed Jessica and Regulus from the corner of his eye. "Does it require my immediate attention?"

The woman sighed, "Yes."

Derick moaned, "I'll be there as soon as possible.

The woman nodded as the hologram disappeared.

"Great!" he whispered to himself, rubbing his hair. "More problems to deal with!"

He turned to Jessica and Regulus.

"I'm serious!" he pointed towards her. "You better tell him and help him fix this because I really don't need this shit right now!"

He didn't wait for her response as he turned away and began entering coordinates on the machine as the two girls came back, fully loaded with weapons, food, and new clothes.

"Remember, find him and bring him back," he activated the machine, nodding to them, sharing a small with the smallest one.

The two nodded back before entering the portal.

Once they were through, he punched in his own set of coordinates and walked on into the light, never once looking back.

* * *

Sunlight stretched across the cloudless sky, forcing the darkness to recede as the scent of the morning filled the air, mixed with the scent of salt water and the sound of peaceful waves that splashed against the sand, only to retreat into the sea. Birds flew in the air, snatching their breakfast where they could find it. The cool breeze of the wind silently beat against the palm and coconut trees of the tropical island, mixed with warm air.

In a small hut house, a woman slept on her stomach, at peace in her sleep as the morning sun slowly dawned on her face, stirring her from her dreams with the help of the cool breeze. She smiled as her eyes slowly opened, moving her hand to the other side of the bed, enjoying the comfort of the sheets against her skin.

The woman slowly lifted her head when she felt nothing next to her, her eyes searching the room. Instead, she found something else in the place of what she was hoping to find, a piece of paper that was placed halfway under a pillow. Sitting up, she did a stretch with her arms and yawned before taking the note in her hand and reading it.

 _ **Went with Kirito to meet up with an old friend.**_

 _ **Be back soon.**_

 _ **Don't sleep in all day, sleepy head.**_

The woman smiled and shook her head, setting the paper on a wooden desk before rising out of the bed, allowing the blanket to leave her naked body and embrace the cool air that surrounded her.

After taking a long, warm shower, she began making dinner in the kitchen, cooking up whatever she could find in the small cabinets below the sink. As she sat down at the table, a knock came at the door-less entrance.

"Trinity? You in there?" asked another female.

"Come on in!" she cried out. "I've made pancakes. And some orange juice."

A young girl of nineteen years entered, smiling at the woman as she prepared her plate. Her long hair was an orange-brownish chestnut color and her eyes were hazel, with beautiful skin that almost rivaled that of a model.

"Where's Severus?" she asked.

"He's out with Kirito. They took the yacht to see some friend."

"I guess that gives us some girl time," she took her seat and sat her bag on the ground, saying a quick prayer with the other woman before diving into the deliciously streaming pile of pancakes as they talked.

"Oh, have you heard back from any of the universities?" Trinity asked.

The girl nodded, "Yep! Just got all three replies, actually."

"And?"

The girl swallowed as she blushed, "They've all accepted me."

Trinity smiled, "That's great Asuna! Now the only thing you have to worry about is choosing which one."

Asuna looked away, "Yeah."

Trinity's face fell as she placed her silver wear down and reached across the table, taking her hand into hers, "What's wrong?"

Asuna shrugged, "I guess… I dunno…"

Nodding, Trinity took their empty plates and placed them in the sink, quickly cleaning them and putting on a cloth to dry, "Let's take a walk. It's far too beautiful to remain indoors."

Following her lead, the two exited the hut and took off their sandals as they walked on the soft sand, just within reach of the sea water. Soon they found a couple of large rocks to sit on, enjoying the sight of the sea before them.

"How is Kirito doing?"

Asuna shrugged, "He has his bad moments, but the treatment is making him better. Fewer brain problems… but…"

"But?" she pressed.

Asuna sighed, "When it comes to combat, even in the virtual world, he has these moments of hesitation. Whether its because his brain is panicking or just he simply doesn't remember how to respond... it worries me."

She nodded.

"But on the plus side, at least he doesn't have that problem in bed."

It took a moment for Trinity's mind to process what she meant before her mouth dropped, "Wait… you mean… the two of you…"

Asuna smiled, "Officially no longer have my 'V'-license anymore. In reality, anyway."

"Wow! I mean… how was it?"

Asuna raised an eyebrow, "Like you don't know!"

Trinity playfully slapped her shoulder, "Come on, it can be different for everybody."

Asuna looked at her hands as she blushed, "It was… painful… and awkward at first… but then… it became… nice… like a... pleasure I never knew was possible. Not even in SAO was it ever like this. It was… magical."

"Trust me," she winked at her. "It gets better with practice."

"So, was Severus your first?"

Trinity's smiled faded as she looked down and shook her head, "No, he wasn't. I was definitely his first, but mine was way before him."

"Wait, really?" Asuna's face was filled with shock and surprise. "I always thought Severus was your first time."

"Looking back, I kinda wish he was."

"What do you mean _kinda_?" Asuna raised an eyebrow.

Trinity winked, smiling mischievously, "Let's just say that the third guy I was with had these amazing hands and one killer body that I swear would make any girl want to jump into bed with."

"Geez, Trinity! You're more of a pervert than I took you for."

"Hey, it was a time before Severus. Anything and anyone was up for grabs."

"Change the subject! Please!"

She laughed, "Alright, I'll spare you any more naughtiness. Let's talk about our first dates with the men we are with. You first."

"Oh, um, it was nothing special. In SAO it was a simple dinner at my place. Kirito had found this rare rabbit and managed to get it. It was one of, if not, the best meals I've ever had." She closed her eyes as she remembered the memory in detail. "In reality, it was just to a simple restaurant and then under a cloudless sky of stars in the park. What about you?"

"Well…" she leaned in, forcing Asuna to do the same. "… I took Severus to a strip club."

Asuna's face turned red as she semi-screamed, making Trinity laugh as she nearly fell over.

"You're a nasty woman! How could you do that to him?!"

"You should… have been… there… to see… his face…" she managed to say in between her panting. "It was… so hilarious…"

Soon Asuna was laughing as well, unable to get the mental picture she had placed in her head to fade away.

"Ah, now that was a time to remember," said Trinity as she calmed down, holding onto her aching stomach. "Looking back, I wonder how time has passed so quickly. It feels like yesterday."

Asuna sighed, "For us, it's the opposite. Nearly a year since Underworld and it feels like a lifetime now. And that's not even mentioning SAO."

A moment of silence passed between them before Trinity asked, "So what's stopping you from accepting?"

Thinking hard on her answer, Asuna shrugged, "I guess I'm just worried about being separated from Kirito. We've been through so much and after nearly losing him, the last thing I want is for distance to succeed where others have failed."

Trinity nodded, placing her hand on her shoulder as they sat in silence together.

"Thank you for coming with us. It's been a while since we were able to enjoy moments like this with you."

"Thank you for inviting us. If you hadn't, I would be in constant argument with Severus over where to spend our vacation before finally realizing we wasted it trying to decide."

Asuna laughed.

Suddenly, a buzzing noise was heard and the watch on Trinity's arm buzzed against her skin.

"Is something wrong?" Asuna asked.

"I don't know," Trinity's eyes narrowed at the watch as she rose from the rock, bringing the watch close to her face as she activated it.

"Yes?"

A blue hologram of Derick appeared, "Trinity, where's Severus?"

"He's not here," she glared at him. "And we're still on vacation."

Derick smiled, sadly, "I'm afraid it's going to have to be cut short. Something important has come up."

* * *

 **What ya think?**

 **Please leave your thoughts and opinion in the review section below.**

 **Thank you for the support and I'll see you guys in Chapter 9!**

 **Message** **to** ** _"_ _Angelica quezada"_** : _First off, I understand that my writing will never be as good as J.K. Rowling or George R.R. Martin or even Tolkien for that matter. So if you don't like it, that's fine. There are plenty of other writers to read from. But don't use that kind of language to me or anyone else. It's disrespectful and can hurt feelings. If you think you can hurt me with words that others have thrown at me before, you are sadly mistaken. I'm going to write this story as I see fit. I'm not going to quit just because your control-freak mind wants me to. If you don't like my story, then why are you here? Take your toxic words and get out of here if that's all you have to offer!_


	9. Questions

**The Unknown Hero**

* * *

 **Appreciate the reviews those of you have been leaving for my story. They mean a lot to me.**

 **Enjoy Chapter 9!**

* * *

 **Chapter Nine:**

 **Questions**

* * *

The cool air brushed against the small condo, its walls keeping the heat within from escaping. A light was on in one of the rooms, shining out into the darkness of the neighborhood, matching others in the young night. People walked by, never glancing at the condo as they enjoyed a rather decent evening.

A figure stood next to the window, hidden away as it watched the people walk by, glaring in envy at the couples who held hands with no worry or fears. Next to the figure was a table and a newspaper on it, nearly crumpled.

The door opened and two men appeared, wearing ordinary muggle clothes.

"Ma'am," the tallest one spoke. "Our contact has everything underway. Transport to Australia almost complete, including a safe house that will be waiting."

The figure turned to the men, her eyes red and baggy, her face wet as water. The men looked away, the sight of her almost too much to bear. She then turned to the newspaper and glared at it, sadness fading away as fire emerged within.

She turned to the men, "How long?"

"In about a month," the tallest one replied.

The woman nodded, "Good. That should be more than enough time."

The men looked at her, confused.

"For what?"

She turned to look out the window again, the fire in her eyes growing as she watched a woman pull her partner into an embracing kiss on the sidewalk, with no care if anyone was watching.

"For answers."

* * *

Dumbledore sat in his chair as Moody and Minchum argued, their voices like small echoes down a tunnel as he rubbed his white beard.

"How can we not reveal this to the world?!" Minchum demanded. "They deserve to know!"

Moody growled, tapping the floor with his wooden staff, "And what do you think the repercussions will be if we do? It is widely known that Miss Evans was once friends with Mister Snape."

"That's what you and Crouch are here for!"

Moody glared at him.

The door opened and a man entered, making the three of them turn their attention to him.

"Ah, good to see you could make it, Crouch."

"Is it true?" Bartemius Crouch Senior approached Dumbledore. "Does that book tell us what he did?"

Dumbledore stared into his eyes, deep in thought before he nodded, "Yes, it's true."

Crouch released a breath that he had been holding, "Then we must tell them!"

"Exactly what I've been trying to tell them."

Crouch's eyes widened at the Minster as he turned to Dumbledore again, "You don't wish to announce it?"

"We're against it for a reason," said Moody.

"And what reason might that be?"

Dumbledore rose from his chair, the Phoenix oblivious to their conversation in the background as it ate its nighttime snack, "Because if we do, we'll be placing not only Miss Evans at risk, but her family too."

Moody nodded, "The world is changing. Mugglebons are slowly becoming more sympathetic to the public now, with so many Death Eaters either imprisoned or on the run. Even sympathizers are scared to show any backbone."

"All the more reason to reveal this!" Minchum declared. "If they know what he did, it'll add to the growing resentment of the Pure-Blood ideology. Imagine what it would mean for future Slytherins who walk through the Entrance Hall and look upon the seated Houses of the Great Hall."

Dumbledore smiled, "Nothing would give me more pleasure after reading this book." He placed his hand on the cover, a sad look falling on his face. "But the timing is not right. We need someone to help clarify that this book is authentic."

"And who could do that for us?" Minchum demanded.

Dumbledore sighed, "I've sent Slughorn to find him, but he appears to not be anywhere in the school."

"A student is missing?"

"No, Minchum, not missing. No need to worry."

"Can you at least tell us the boy's name?" Crouch asked, impatiently.

Dumbledore sighed, "Regulus Black."

Both Minchum and Crouch frowned.

"The heir to the Black Family?"

"How would he be able to confirm the importance of this book?" Crouch demanded.

Moody rolled his eyes, "For someone who runs the Auror Department, you're not very observative."

Crouch glared at him, "Remember who you're talking to, Mad-Eye!"

"Gentlemen!" Dumbledore cried, getting their attention. "Regulus Black is the only other person who can acknowledge the truth to our world, aside from Severus Snape."

"And there's the matter of that problem too," said Crouch. "Can we expect Mr. Snape to appear for this Tournament?"

Minchum nodded, "And can we expect protection to any of Mr. Snape's extended family?"

Moody rolled his eyes, "Mr. Snape is the last surviving descendant of both the Snape and the Prince Family trees."

"The Princes' are nearly extinct?"

Moody raised an eyebrow at that statement, holding back the urge to tease him of sounding like a Pure-Blood loyalist.

Dumbledore sighed, "Eileen Prince married Tobias Snape after she became pregnant with his child. The Princes' gave her an ultimatum, abort the pregnancy and keep her connection to the family or be disowned."

Minchum's face was filled with shock.

Moody half-grinned, "Thank Merlin she chose the second."

Dumbledore smiled.

An elf popped next to his desk, "Sir, Mister Black has been seen... on the seventh floor."

The headmaster nodded, "Thank you. You may leave."

Once the elf left, Dumbledore walked around his desk and towards the door, "Time to see what Mister Black has to say about all of this."

* * *

Regulus walked around the living room, retracing his steps without realizing it.

Jessica watched him from the couch, "Are you going to keep pacing around until the floor gives way?"

He ignored her, lost in thought before coming to a stop next to the window, overlooking the city of London.

"Why'd you do it?"

Jessica took a drink of her wine, "The answer should be obvious."

He turned to her, "You knew I would come right to you when his name was chosen. You _used_ me."

"If you're expecting an apology, then you truly don't know me."

Regulus remained silent, struggling not to unleash his feelings at that moment.

"It won't be long before they know about my involvement. I suspect Dumbledore may already know."

"Don't worry, kid," she poured herself some more wine. "Severus taught you well enough to hold your mind against someone like Dumbledore."

Regulus raised an eyebrow, "You've sure been drinking a lot. Tyrion would be proud."

"Who do you think is my drinking buddy?" she smiled. "And besides, I'm going to need it once Severus finds out."

"Your problem, not mine," he waved her off, walking towards the exit. "I need to get back before they notice I'm gone."

"See ya!" she cried out before the door shut behind him.

Getting into the cabinet, he whispered, " _Harmonia Nectere Passus_!"

Emerging from the cabinet and into the Room of Requirement, he went for the exit and quickly made his way down the stairs of the hallway, managing to keep quiet until he made it to the entrance of the Slytherin Common Room, where he was met with a surprise to see four wizards standing in his way.

His heart skipped a beat at the sight of Headmaster Dumbledore, Alastor Moody, Bartemius Crouch, and Minister Minchum.

"Mister Black," Dumbledore smiled. "Would you be so kind to join us in my office?"

Bringing up his mental shields, he nodded, "Yes, sir."

* * *

 **Sorry for this being short. Meant for it to be longer. But after watching Game of Thrones 8x05 "The Bells"... I've been depressed about how things are going for my favorite tv show right now. So I don't trust myself to write at the moment. Need to process what I've seen.**

 **Apologies for the spelling errors. I'm trying to correct them.**

 **Please leave a review of your thoughts in the review section. Or if you don't wish for others to read your thoughts, PM me on my profile. I welcome any conversation. Just don't be mean, please.**

 **I'll see you guys in Chapter 10!**


	10. Reading Chapter Three

**The Unknown Hero**

* * *

 **Hey guys!**

 **Finally got this one finished. I apologize in advance for any spelling errors.**

 **Just a heads up, I've made some changes to Chapter 9. For one, I've decided to undo Severus's parents being alive and instead make them dead. So that section has been deleted and replaced with a new section that introduces something I was waiting to do later. And the dialogue between Dumbledore, Moody, Crouch and Minchum was changed too.**

 **So I recommend re-reading Chapter 9.**

 **Also, SPOILER WARNING!**

 **This chapter will contain a viewing of a certain movie that two characters will watch. Some dialogue and description of scenes will be used. The moment you read the name of the movie title and you haven't seen it yet but want to, stop reading and come back once you've seen the film. Or you could skip ahead to the _"SPOILERS OVER"_ sigh to avoid being... well, spoiled.**

 **Enjoy Chapter 10!**

* * *

 **Chapter Ten:**

 **Reading Chapter Three**

* * *

Regulus sat among the rest of his classmates in the Great Hall as everyone ate their food and prepared for another read from the book. He had noticed that Lily Evans wasn't in attendance, although the Head Boy didn't seem to be all too worried about it. Which meant he probably already knew why and where she would be.

The previous night had been the scariest in his entire life when he was approached by Dumbledore and three among the most powerful people in the Ministry of Magic. One of which happened to be THE most powerful. So, he was in no position to refuse their request to speak with him in Dumbledore's office.

The talk they had made him struggle to keep his mind safe, though his training did come in handy to fend off Dumbledore's attempts into his mind. There were secrets not his to share, but there were those that he was willing to share that was already exposed by Jessica's act of betrayal to his best friend. He could only hope that Severus would forgive him. Because now the truth was officially out, thanks to him. And there would be repercussions of all sorts once Dumbledore was satisfied to share them with the Wizarding World. He was just along for the ride, as he always was.

The moment Dumbledore approached the Great Hall and sat down in his comfy chair, the entire population silenced in a second, eager to begin the next chapter.

" _ **Chapter Three: The Assignment**_

Many of the students couldn't contain their excitement.

 _ **Severus awoke the next morning at the exact time as he always did, silently moving like a spider to the bathroom to shower, dress and gather his schoolbooks to begin the day.**_

"Just please, don't elaborate more!" said Sirius, earning some laughter from those at his table and at Hufflepuff.

 _ **He sneered at his roommates as they slept, knowing they wouldn't be awake until much later. He wouldn't be surprised if they slept past noon.**_

Some rolled their eyes at this.

 _ **For the next few hours he spent his time at the library, completing half of his homework and studies before the clock struck 11:30, signaling him to gather up his things and put them away back in his dorm before making his way to the DADA classroom. On his way there, he saw a group of girls in the distance from the windows, recognizing the sight of red hair as he did. Feeling his chest tighten, he forced himself to look away and focus on anything but her.**_

"Jeez! This is a soap opera!"

"Just get over her, dude!"

Sirius smiled as he nudged James, whispering something into his ear.

 _ **He arrived just as the bells sounded, finding Professor Ironwood at his desk.**_

 _ **Ironwood didn't look up as he stood over a series of papers, his finger tracing over them, "I see punctuality holds a great deal of respect with you."**_

"Isn't that the truth!" someone said.

 _ **Severus sneered, keeping his annoyance under control. His attention turned towards the papers on his desk, quickly becoming interested as he realized that they were maps, resembling the kind his father used to bring home from his job. But his attention was broken when Ironwood waved his wand over them and they began stacking on top of each other and flying into a drawer.**_

"What were they?" a second-year girl asked.

"And of what?" someone else added.

" _ **Let's get going," Ironwood led the way as Severus followed, glancing back at the drawer.**_

"I hope we find out what's in that drawer."

" _ **Tell me, Mr. Snape, how familiar are you with muggle media?"**_

Many students exchanged confused looks.

 _ **Severus kept his eyes ahead of him and formed a fist with his hand, "Little, sir."**_

"Same," said a third-year boy.

 _ **Ironwood chuckled, "It's easy to overlook or ignore the muggles way of life, but much can be learned from them. Especially in their fondness for 'entertainment'."**_

"Sounds interesting."

 _ **They had made their way to the Courtyard and begun crossing the Viaduct.**_

" _ **There are a lot of differences between muggles and wizards, but can you tell me one of the similarities we share?"**_

Some of the older Slytherins frowned and glared at the book.

 _ **Severus' face began to turn slightly red as he breathed through his nose, "No, sir."**_

" _ **Stories."**_

"Wait, what?"

 _ **His anger was almost forgotten by that response.**_

" _ **Throughout time, legends have always held a strong influence over all societies. From Greek Mythology to Shakespeare, from romantic poems to books. Even cave drawings could tell stories without words.**_

"I guess that makes sense."

" _ **But the greatest of all would have to be muggles' recent, though not all that old, discovery of filming.**_

"Oh, I love movies!"

"Muggleborns!" someone whispered.

" _ **The ability to capture a moment, a real moment, no matter how manipulated, and make it part of a larger story. All told through a recording camera, no different from our own, but with greater capabilities. That is what I wish to show you."**_

 _ **Severus sneered, "Sir, what does this have to do with Defense?"**_

"That's a good question."

" _ **That is up to you to find out."**_

" _ **Can you tell me what 'movie' we are going to watch?" he snapped.**_

Some rolled their eyes again.

"He's so rude," said a fourth-year girl.

Sirius and Potter smiled at each other.

 _ **Ironwood grinned and chuckled, "So impatient. Be thankful we are no longer on Hogwarts grounds, or I would be forced to take away points."**_

 _ **Severus realized they had walked past the Front Gate, flinching as the professor offered his hand to him when he turned around. Closing his eyes, he accepted his hand and felt the professor Appariting them from where they were standing. Feeling the wind brush against his face, he opened his eyes and recognized the stench of whatever alleyway they were standing in.**_

" _ **This way," Ironwood commanded.**_

"Where are they?" a first-year Hufflepuff boy asked.

 _ **Following him out of the alleyway, they walked a few blocks of the city of London-**_

"Oh!"

" _ **-until they reached a luxurious building. Entering a revolving door, they approached the front desk of the large, almost empty front entrance, finding a young woman on the other side.**_

" _ **Name and reason for your visit," said the woman, never once looking up.**_

" _ **Jessica already knows we're stopping by," said Ironwood, ignoring her question.**_

 _ **The woman's head shot up; eyes wide.**_

" _ **Oh! I'm so sorry! Please, go right ahead."**_

"He seems to be popular."

 _ **He nodded, earning a blush from the woman as Severus sneered.**_

 _ **They approached an elevator and waited for one to come down to them.**_

"Interesting!"

 _ **Severus looked down, feeling the urge to ask questions about who Jessica was and how the two knew each other, but he kept quiet out of intimidation.**_

 _ **Ironwood looked at him and grinned, "Jessica is an old friend of mine. Someone I work with. I think you would like her."**_

"We would love to meet her," someone cried out, earning a laugh and nod of approval from everyone.

 _ **Before Severus could respond, a small ping noise announced the elevator's arrival as the doors opened. Stepping on in, Ironwood took out a card and slid it into a small area next to some buttons and a secret hidden button lit up. The moment he pressed it the elevator started to go up.**_

Many were becoming more interested in the world of muggles.

 _ **Severus watched as he put the card back into the pocket of his muggle jeans, very intrigued by the advanced technology he had witnessed.**_

 _ **The elevator stopped and the doors opened, revealing a luxurious living room before them. The two stepped off as the doors closed before them, Ironwood flipping the light switch to brighten the room.**_

 _ **While the professor made himself at home, Severus felt out of place and began to heat up from the inside, feeling his face heat up. Remembering to keep himself calm and respectful in the presence of his teacher, he followed close behind and watched as he turned on the device below the tv. Severus thought it was a VCR until he realized it was too small. Even the television itself was too thin from the one his father used at home.**_

"What's a VRC?" someone asked.

 _ **Opening a drawer, the professor searched for something out of sight, using his index finger to trace over whatever was in there, stopping near the mid-section as he reached inside and pulled something out. Though unable to see, Severus could make out that it was a black case with a small picture being held against it by clear plastic. Opening the case, the professor took something out and inserted it into the device by a small crack, disappearing like a VHS tape would. But it didn't even resemble that of a VHS, it was thinner and circular.**_

"What kind of a tape is that?" a fifth-year Ravenclaw girl cried out.

 _ **Ironwood turned on the tv and turned around, "Would you like anything to eat or drink? This is rather going to be a long movie."**_

 _ **Though he felt the urge to deny him, he decided to go with, "Water."**_

 _ **Ironwood nodded and walked out of the living room, "Make yourself comfortable on the couch."**_

 _ **Hesitant to do so, he slowly sat down on the comfortable cushion of the couch, feeling his muscles relax as he allowed himself to lay against the back of it. He almost lost himself to the nice feeling until Ironwood reappeared with a tray of nachos, popcorn, two bottled Cokes, and a bottle of water, making him lean straight up as he felt his heart race.**_

"Man, what's his problem?"

"It's Snivellus, what wasn't his problem?" Sirius cried out.

Some laughed, while others frowned.

 _ **Ironwood set the tray down on a glass table and turned off the lights before sitting down and handing him his water.**_

 _ **Severus accepted it, "Mind telling me what movie we are watching?"**_

"Please do tell!"

"The suspense is killing us!"

"What's a movie?"

 _ **Ironwood ate some nachos as he grabbed the remote control from the table, pressing a button. Suddenly, the television lit up and sound came to life that made Severus flinch, and a menu appeared on the screen. Along with the title of the film…**_

' _ **The Godfather'**_

* * *

 **Again, I'm giving you the chance to skip this.**

 **Just go forward ahead until you see the " _SPOILERS OVER"_ sign**

* * *

"I love that movie!"

"Me too!"

"What's it about?"

"How will we get to watch it?"

 _ **Severus frowned; he couldn't recall his father's television ever working this way. Then again, muggles were always making fast advancement in their everyday necessaries. He just never cared to keep up.**_

 _ **The movie on the other hand, he remembered having been released in London during the summer before his 2**_ _ **nd**_ _ **year at Hogwarts. A movie his father and so many other people loved. Even the rest of the world had declared it to be a masterpiece. If memory served him right, a second film had been made not long after, which had received the same praise. If not more so.**_

"How come we've never heard of it?"

"Because we don't have tvs!"

" _ **I take it you haven't seen this before."**_

 _ **It was more of a statement than it was a question.**_

 _ **Severus shook his head, "No, sir."**_

" _ **You look upset. Why?"**_

"Because it's Snivellus!" Sirius declared.

 _ **He swallowed, not daring to look up.**_

" _ **Severus," Ironwood's voice hardened, yet felt so inviting. "Look at me."**_

 _ **Fighting against his urge to resist, he slowly lifted his head and looked into the professor's eyes. As he did, he saw something within, something he had never seen before. But he couldn't quite name what it was. It wasn't pity or disgust. He would have known if it was.**_

Many eyes lowered in sadness.

" _ **If you don't want to watch, we can head back to Hogwarts right now. Just say the word."**_

 _ **A long breath of relief escaped him, his heart racing with excitement to finally put an end to the uncomfortable atmosphere. He wanted to be back at the library, in his bed, under the tree by the lake, sitting at the Slytherin table; anywhere but there. He just wanted to run and escape.**_

 _ **But a part of him berated his cowardness. To give up on the task of receiving the extra credit he had agreed to work for. A part of him that slowly began to outweigh his eagerness to leave. An ambition to see this through.**_

 _ **Shaking his head, Severus turned to the tv, "No, just start the movie and get it over with."**_

 _ **Ironwood stared at him for moment before nodded and pressing 'play' on the remote.**_

 _ **Again, Severus was curious as to nature of how the muggle device worked, quickly gathering that while it worked similarly to a VCR, it was still very much different.**_

 _ **The menu disappeared and the movie began with a dark screen, with music being played as the titles appeared, naming the company and movie before a voice spoke and the face of a man appeared, speaking directly to a hidden figure.**_

"How are we supposed to see what he's seeing?"

"What's going on?

"Man, this sucks!"

"Attention!" Dumbledore declared. "The book sadly only seems to capture moments of Mr. Snape watching this muggle movie. It's something we've got to accept about this book."

Though frustrated by such a fact, the students quieted down and allowed him to continue.

 _ **Drinking his water, Severus remained straighten where he sat, his eyes on the movie to witness every moment.**_

" _ **If by chance an honest man like yourself should make enemies, then they would become my enemies. And then they would fear you."**_

 _ **Severus smiled on the inside, admiring the declaration of Vito, a man he immediately had respect for and wished to become, though he would never admit such a thing out loud about a muggle. Especially to his dormmates.**_

Some rolled their eyes, while some of the older Slytherins glared at the book.

" _ **A man who can't spend time with his family can never be a real man."**_

"That's… rather a good line."

"Better writing than the books we read."

 _ **Every scene made him respect Vito more. He was the kind of father he wished he was born to in the Wizarding World. A real example that surpassed his own father in so many ways.**_

"Which isn't much of a bar to reach."

Some laughed.

" _ **I'm going to make him an offer he can't refuse."**_

"Okay, I seriously need to watch this movie."

 _ **Not even thirty minutes in and Severus was enjoying himself with the character of Vito. A part of him wished he had seen this movie a long time ago.**_

 _ **Severus smiled as the disrespectful Hollywood producer awoke to discover the head of his prized horse in his bed. He immediately loved the power of the Corleone family, a desire burning deep inside to one day rise to that greatness.**_

Many were disturbed by this.

Sirius smiled, loving how the book was painting his enemy as the Death Eater git that he was.

" _ **Never tell anybody outside of the family what you're thinking again."**_

 _ **As Severus nodded in agreement with Vito's statement, a thought occurred him that quickly turned into a realization.**_

"What did he realize?"

"I don't know."

 _ **A part of Severus felt uncomfortable and disturbed as he watched the man known as Luca being stabbed and strangled from behind. The way his eyes widened in fear and face turned red from the lack of oxygen, plus his muffled voice that tried to scream, gave him his first terrifying look at what death was like.**_

"Jeez! This is graphic!"

"How terrible!"

"I'm totally watching this movie!"

 _ **Severus felt his heart stop the moment Vito started running, hoping he would make it to his car before the assassins got to him, nearly jumping up from the couch when they opened fire on the Don. He struggled not to shout insults at the younger son of the man who was cowardly hiding behind the car.**_

"How did that happen?"

"It's jumping moments from the movie. I've seen it."

"Well, lucky you."

" _ **Leave the gun, take the cannoli."**_

 _ **Severus rolled his eyes and sneered.**_

Some laughed at the comedic moment.

" _ **It's not personal, Sonny. It's strictly business."**_

 _ **Deep down, Severus understood how much of a lie that was. No matter how convincing Michael was, he knew the desire of retaliation more than anyone. Any humiliation Potter and Black caused him to always created a desire to see it repaid twice over. The only difference between him and Michael was how in control they were about it.**_

"Ain't that the truth!" Sirius cried out.

" _ **You know, Mike… we was all proud of you. Being a hero and all. Your father too."**_

 _ **Envy filled Severus as he looked away, bushing. Something that Ironwood took notice of.**_

Others understood too, their eyes filled with sadness.

 _ **Witnessing the murder of the Sollozzo and McCluskey by Michael's hand was another experience, though different from the last. He felt proud and satisfied that the man who was responsible for two assassination attempts on Vito was dead, including the man who had helped him.**_

Many were once again second-guessing themselves about Severus and his inner thoughts.

" _ **In Sicily, women are more dangerous than shotguns."**_

 _ **Severus' heart sank as he was reminded of 'her', another reminder of what he had lost and the pain that came with it. He agreed with the statement but disagreed with the first part of it. The danger reached far beyond the lands of Sicily.**_

"Seriously, how is this guy not over her yet?"

"Evans is rather beautiful."

"But this is just depressing!"

 _ **Severus glared at the screen as he watched Carlo yelled and beat his wife on and off-screen, his face turning red as the woman's screaming echoed in his ears, his hands forming into fists.**_

Many flinched at the description, remembering the first chapter.

 _ **Sadness filled Severus as he watched Tom tell Vito about the death of his son, the pain he saw in the man's eyes, which added to his respect for the old Don as he comforted the man he had taken in and been a father to. He hated himself for it, knowing that he was feeling such emotion towards a character that didn't exist and was a muggle.**_

Once again, there were looks of worry and disbelief about Severus as they heard the words from the Headmaster.

Sirius continued to smile, loving how the book was doing his dirty work without even trying.

" _ **Look how they massacred my boy."**_

 _ **The sadness grew. Not for the man who was dead but rather for the father. Witnessing the aftermath of death's handy work on the living, someone who had great power yet was powerless to save the ones he loves. A father who wishes to protect his sons.**_

"This movie sounds depressing."

Some nodded.

 _ **The meeting between the Five Families left Severus conflicted, he wished Vito would get his vengeance against the people who had hurt him. But he also respected the Don's reasonings for calling and establishing peace, knowing that it was a call that needed to be made. It was a bittersweet pill for him to swallow.**_

"Sounds like something he would think," said Mary McDonald.

 _ **The reunion between Michael and Kay annoyed Severus, naming all the reasons why they shouldn't be together in his head. The biggest being that Kay couldn't and never could, understand Michael or the life he's been dealt with. Even her naïve viewpoint infuriated him.**_

"Gee, sounds familiar."

"… _ **don't ever take sides against the family again. Ever."**_

 _ **Severus disagreed, telling himself that family and friendship would eventually end up on the wrong side of each other. That everyone needed to fend for themselves, that they would always use each other for personal gain of some kind.**_

Many shook their heads.

" _ **I've spent my whole life trying not to be careless. Women and children, they get to be careless, but not men."**_

 _ **Severus was nodding in agreement from his own experience.**_

Hearing that took on a whole new meaning and experience for the students, including the grown-ups.

" _ **I worked my whole life, I don't apologize, to take care of my family. And I refused to be a fool dancing on a string held by those big spots. I don't apologize, that's my life."**_

 _ **Once again, Severus agreed with Vito, though not entirely the same way. Like him, he felt as if he had worked a lifetime of getting to where he was with Malfoy and his future with the Death Eater campaign. Not for family or for his friends, for himself. He didn't want to be a fool for Potter, Black or Dumbledore, or even the Dark Lord, he wanted to be a Big Spot. Someone with the power to keep himself from ever being bullied or hurt ever again. And he was not going to apologize for it.**_

Once again, they were all seeing a new light to Severus and were beginning to understand him more.

" _ **Life is so beautiful."**_

 _ **Unaware, Severus felt his heart sink as Vito died in his garden, his last words echoing in his ears as the Don's grandson approached him. He felt as if he was watching the death of a friend, of someone who had fulfilled his dream. And in his sadness, he made a vow to someday become like him.**_

The moment shocked a lot of people, surprised by the fact that Severus felt this way. That was hardly ever seen, except for when it came to Lily.

 _ **Seeing the revenge Michael extract on the Five Families without even being there made him smile, finding the satisfaction that while Vito didn't get to live to see his vengeance carried out it made up for the retaliation he so desperately wanted to see.**_

 _ **Severus' heart leaped with joy at seeing Carlo being strangled in the car, enjoying the moment as the wife-beater was killed in a painful matter.**_

 _ **The closing scene left Severus with a smile on his face as he watched the new Don Corleone assume full control of a far more powerful empire than even Vito once controlled. He felt proud for the Corleone family and that they had overcome the odds in the end. But there was also something else he felt but couldn't quite make out. A feeling he ignored as the credits rolled.**_

* * *

 **SPOILERS OVER**

 **You can start reading here.**

* * *

Dumbledore paused as he looked up to the students sitting at their respected House tables, noticing how everyone was processing the information they had just heard. Even he was conflicted as to how to feel about Severus. His inner thoughts were disturbing, especially in his need for revenge.

Clearing his throat, he resumed.

 _ **Pausing the movie, Ironwood looked at the clock and rubbed his eyes.**_

" _ **It's amazing how a good film such as this can make time fly," he turned to Severus. "Any thoughts?"**_

 _ **Severus kept his face neutral, "It was… entertaining."**_

 _ **Ironwood raised an eyebrow, "If you're looking to get this extra credit, you're going to need more than just 'entertaining'. Anything off the top of your head that can think of?"**_

 _ **Severus thought about it, "The movie was about the Corleone family and the struggle to maintain their power against powerful foes." He paused, trying to think of anything else. "It was also about Vito's search for a true heir to his power."**_

"That's a not bad way to describe."

"Only because you've seen it."

 _ **Ironwood smiled and nodded, "Very good. Can you tell me who was the best one?"**_

 _ **He nodded, "Michael."**_

" _ **Why?"**_

" _ **Because Sonny was too hot-tempered and emotional. He had leadership skills, strength and was loyal, but his anger always got the better of him. It was what led to his death.**_

" _ **Fredo was too cowardly and weak. He knew how to be a businessman, but he could never handle the pressure like Sonny or Michael.**_

" _ **Connie was too innocent and spoiled, not to mention she was a woman during that time period. So, she was out of question.**_

" _ **Michael was the logical choice. He demonstrated strength, control, and intelligence. He's the combination of the best parts of Fredo and Sonny. He may let his emotions get the better of him but not in the same way that Sonny did. He's the only one who can assume control of Vito's empire."**_

 _ **Ironwood smiled and nodded, "Very well said, Mr. Snape. However, this is merely half of the assignment."**_

"Wait, what?"

"There's more?"

 _ **He left the room and came back with a book, handing it over to him.**_

 _ **Severus took it and read the title, "The Godfather - By: Mario Puzo".**_

"There's a book?"

"Where can I get one?"

" _ **I want you to read through it and write an essay about both it and the movie. I'm not expecting anything specific from you, only what you've learned and gained. I want to see the essay finished by or before Halloween."**_

"That feels a little short?"

"I bet he'll be able to do it."

Sirius glared at the girl who said that.

 _ **Though feeling a little stressed and annoyed by the sudden addition to the deal, Severus nodded as he read the back cover of the paperback. A part of him was excited to read it and get to experience more of Vito. He even wondered how faithful the movie was to it.**_

"Aren't all movies made by muggles faithful to their books?"

A fourth-year Gryffindor girl tried to smile, "Um… sure…"

" _ **Thank you, sir."**_

 _ **There was ding as the elevator doors opened and a woman appeared, wearing a red dress and carrying a couple of bags. Both Ironwood and Severus turned to her, surprised by her entrance.**_

"Who is this?"

 _ **Severus went for his wand, but Ironwood placed his hand on his shoulder before getting up.**_

" _ **Oh, Derek!" the woman smiled. "I figured I would find you here."**_

" _ **And I thought you would be gone until tomorrow."**_

 _ **The woman shrugged, "The visit went faster than I thought."**_

 _ **She looked at Severus, who blushed and turned away, "And who is this?"**_

"The real question is, who are you, lady?"

 _ **Ironwood turned to the Slytherin, "This is one of my students, Severus Snape."**_

 _ **The woman approached him and set down her things before offering her hand, "Jessica Davis."**_

"Ooooh! So that's Jessica."

 _ **Severus swallowed as he awkwardly accepted her handshake, nodding.**_

 _ **She looked at the movie case on the tv stand and the book next to him, smiling, "When are you going to watch Part 2? I would love to join. Maybe next time I can be the one to 'guide' Mr. Snape here through it."**_

 _ **Severus blushed, his face red as cherry as he struggled not to lash out her. He could feel her gaze on him and the smile that came with it.**_

"Looks like Severus is well on his way with finding someone else to replace Evans."

James glared at the boy, _'How dare he disrespect Lily!_ '

" _ **Jessica!" Ironwood's voice caught her attention, making her look into his serious eyes. "A word!"**_

 _ **She smiled at Severus again and winked before following the Defense teacher to another room, leaving Severus alone to his thoughts.**_

"Geez! This woman is such a tease!"

 _ **He felt so embarrassed and so humiliated that he considered running out of the room and back to Hogwarts. But he remembered that he couldn't perform Apparition yet, nor could he leave without his teacher.**_

 _ **Instead, he stood there and stared into the corner of the living room, trying to get himself under control. Muffled voices caught his attention from the small hallway, daring him to move closer to hear. And soon he was next to the door of the room Jessica and his teacher were occupying.**_

"Because that's smart!"

" _ **-Ilvermorny and Salem. Laura and Arya cleared Beauxbatons and Durmstrang."**_

" _ **Which means that it has to be somewhere in Hogwarts."**_

"What's here?"

" _ **If it's there."**_

 _ **Severus frowned, 'What were they talking about?'**_

"Good question!"

 _ **He heard Ironwood sigh, "Send Laura and Arya to help Ed and Alphones. If Kronan is indeed on Fate D-1, then we'll need to strike as soon they confirm his whereabouts."**_

"What?"

"I have no idea what is going on!"

"Who is Kronan?"

' _ **Who was Kronan?'**_

"Exactly!"

" _ **There's more," Jessica drew a breath. "Arya thinks that she might have found another possible location."**_

" _ **Where?"**_

" _ **Thrones G-2."**_

"What is up with all of these code names?"

"What are code names?"

' _ **What kind of a name was that?'**_

 _ **There was pause, almost making Severus think they were aware of his ease-dropping.**_

" _ **She's certain?"**_

" _ **Not entirely, but it's worth a look."**_

 _ **Ironwood remained silent, clearly contemplating, "Is she willing to go back?"**_

"Is she from there?"

" _ **It's not really her home, but I think she can manage. It's been years, you know that."**_

"How does that work?"

" _ **Some things linger. You, me and Snape understand that better than anyone."**_

 _ **His face began to heat up.**_

" _ **You do realize he's not that Snape yet, right?"**_

"What is that supposed to mean?"

" _ **And since what happened to keeping a low-profile?"**_

 _ **Another pause.**_

" _ **Bit of a simple task to help keep my cover. If bad turns to worse, it'll just be another failure."**_

" _ **Or another dead-end."**_

" _ **Better than not knowing for sure."**_

" _ **I was meaning the boy."**_

 _ **His blood began to boil.**_

" _ **Funny, I was meaning both."**_

 _ **Jessica laughed, "I'll give Arya and Laura their new assignment. Also, Trinity wanted me to give you this."**_

"Wait, isn't that the girl who hanged out with Severus last year?"

' _ **Who was Trinity?'**_

 _ **Severus heard paper being exchanged.**_

 _ **A moment later, Ironwood's voice was laced with anger, "SHE DID WHAT?!"**_

"What did she do?"

" _ **And Axel has decided to join her," Jessica was trying to contain her laughter.**_

"Hey, I remember him! Mr. Party Guy! Only good Slytherin there was."

Sirius sneered.

' _ **Who was Axel? And what did they do?'**_

" _ **You could have started with that!"**_

" _ **And not build up the suspense?" she laughed. "Not a chance!"**_

Some snickered.

" _ **You're a real b-, you know that?!"**_

Dumbledore had skipped the cuss word, but many understood which one it was.

 _ **Severus heard footsteps coming his way as he quickly retreated to the living room, just before the door swung open. He sat down, turning to Ironwood as he entered, his face red.**_

" _ **Let's go!"**_

 _ **His voice sent chills down his spine as he grabbed the book and followed, staring at the ground as they took the elevator down and walked back to the alleyway from the building, Appariting back to the outskirts of Hogwarts.**_

"He is not happy."

"You think?!"

 _ **For whatever reason, Severus kept close to the professor as they fast-walked back to the castle, almost compelled to do so. It didn't occur to him that the professor had most likely forgotten about him as they neared the Headmaster's office. He felt the need to go back to his dorm room, even as he followed the man up the stone stairs, but he feared the consequences if he did without being excused.**_

' _ **Wait, why am I so scared of him?'**_

"Because all of us were!"

"Yeah!"

 _ **They entered the large office of Albus Dumbledore, who was sitting at his desk with two young teens in front of him.**_

" _ **Ah, Professor Ironwood!" if he was surprised by their arrival, he didn't show it. "What brings you here?"**_

 _ **The two teens turned around, smiling at the professor who glared back at them.**_

"That glare was terrifying."

 _ **He then took notice of Severus as well. "And with Mr. Snape in tow."**_

 _ **Ironwood's eyes widened a bit as he remembered who was with him, "Apologizes, Mr. Snape. You may go."**_

 _ **His eyes never left the two teens in their seats.**_

" _ **Actually, Mr. Snape can be of use," Dumbledore announced. "We've gained two new students, despite their late start."**_

 _ **He stood up.**_

" _ **Professor Ironwood, meet Trinity Nicole of Ravenclaw and Axel Reed of Slytherin."**_

" _ **Actually, sir," the girl known as Trinity spoke. "We're already acquainted with Professor Ironwood. We're the reason he is here."**_

" _ **Oh?" surprise and intrigue were in the Headmaster's voice. "And how so?"**_

"Yeah, we want to know."

"It won't tell us."

"How do you know?"

 _ **The girl smiled as she looked back at the angry Defense teacher, "It's a long story. Good to see you again, Professor Ironwood. I hope our… sudden appearance wasn't too much of a surprise for you."**_

"Seriously?!"

"Told you!"

 _ **Ironwood's hands formed into fists, "Yes, it did have that impact on me."**_

The smaller students sunk into their seats, while others flinched.

 _ **The boy known as Axel coughed, "How about we catch up later in your office? We've got lots to talk about."**_

" _ **Oh, you bet we do!"**_

"Seriously, he was scary when he was angry."

 _ **Feeling the uncomfortableness in the room, Dumbledore smiled and clapped his hands together, "Splendid! How about Mr. Snape take Mr. Reed to show him around Slytherin and Professor Ironwood escort Miss Nicole to Ravenclaw?"**_

"Wow, I've never seen the Headmaster look uncomfortable before."

"You do realize that we can't see him be uncomfortable, right?"

"Shut up!"

 _ **A moment of awkward silence passed before Ironwood nodded, "Agreed! Come along, Miss Nicole."**_

 _ **The girl nodded the professor from behind, glancing a small smile at Severus before disappearing down the stone steps.**_

"Is every girl interested in Severus, all of sudden?"

"Looks like it!"

"Most likely just to tease him before dumping him for someone hotter," said Sirius. "Like me!"

Many rolled their eyes.

 _ **Severus felt himself blush and turn away as Axel approached, not wanting him to see.**_

" _ **This way!" he said a little too harshly.**_

 _ **The two exited the Headmaster's office and climbed down the stone steps before heading in the direction of the dungeons for the Slytherin Common Room. The entire time they walked in silence, much to Severus' pleasure. He made sure to stay in front of him.**_

" _ **So… Severus Snape, right?"**_

 _ **Severus sneered, "Yeah? What is it to you?"**_

"So rude!"

"Well, this is Severus."

Sirius smiled.

 _ **Axel raised an eyebrow, "Hey, no need to get all grumpy. I'm just trying to have a conversation. I'm new here after all."**_

" _ **Then bug someone else with your small talk!"**_

"Is there an off-button to his meanness?"

" _ **Like who? None of the others are as interesting as you?"**_

 _ **Severus stopped and turned to look at the boy, "And how do you know that? We've just met, and you've never met anyone else in our House yet."**_

"That's a good question."

" _ **Let's just say that I can read people like an open book."**_

 _ **Severus scoffed, "Really? Well, then, try me."**_

" _ **Seriously?!" Axel raised an eyebrow. "You're way too easy."**_

"He's not wront."

" _ **Then you shouldn't have any trouble!" he sneered.**_

" _ **Alright then," Axel smiled. "You were born in poverty, which explains your torn-up clothes that can barely fit you. You barely eat, which explains your thin body."**_

' _ **How did he-'**_

" _ **You're anti-social, which is why you constantly snap at people and hate talking to me. You're abused, which explains why you prefer to wear a lot of clothing. And you have the look of someone who's heart has been broken. Let me guess… a girl?"**_

"Damn!" someone said, dumbfounded. "That was rather… spot on…"

 _ **His eyes widened and his heart began to race, "Alright, you've made your point! Now shut up!"**_

 _ **He turned around and began walking away.**_

" _ **It was a girl, wasn't it!"**_

 _ **Axel began to follow.**_

" _ **F- you!" he sneered, almost running by that point.**_

Once again, Dumbledore left out the word. In fact, he never mentioned those two words at all.

 _ **The boy laughed behind him, "But seriously, tough luck. Been there. Best thing you can do is move on."**_

" _ **I said, 'shut up'!"**_

"You should listen Snape."

"And you've got two candidates interested already."

" _ **Hey, is that 'The Godfather'?! I love that movie! Never read the book though."**_

" _ **Ugh!"**_

 _ **Severus nearly cheered with joy the moment he entered the Common Room, which thankfully wasn't filled with a lot of people.**_

" _ **Welcome to the Slytherin Common Room, the House of Ambition and Cunning, Bane of Gryffindor!"**_

"Well, he's not entirely wrong."

" _ **Are you in sixth or seventh in this year?"**_

" _ **Seventh," said Axel as he looked around in disappointment. "Man, you guys really need to redecorate."**_

"Ain't that the truth!"

"He actually did," said a seventh year Slytherin boy.

"Wait, really?"

" _ **Seventh year dorm rooms are over there," he pointed in the direction of a seventh year walking out of a hallway. "Any questions?"**_

" _ **Not really."**_

" _ **Good! Have a nice day and welcome to hell!"**_

"Does he have to be so negative and mean?"

 _ **Severus turned and walked away.**_

" _ **Glad to meet you, Severus! See you tomorrow!"**_

"Man, I miss Axel. He was a lot of fun."

" _ **Not on your life!" he whispered as he entered his dorm room and threw himself onto his bed, screaming into his pillow to vent his anger.**_

 _ **After a while of laying there, he flipped onto his back and looked at the book in hands, sitting up against the cold wall as he opened the book to the first page and began to read.**_

 _ **Behind every great fortune there is a crime.**_

 _ **\- Balzac**_

The quote at the end sunk in for everyone as Dumbledore sat the book down and got up.

"That will be all for tonight. We will begin chapter four tomorrow after dinner. For now, goodnight."

It took a while for everyone to gather themselves and begin heading back to their respected Houses, almost quiet as they did.

Once everyone had left the Great Hall, Dumbledore walked up to his office and sat down in his chair, rubbing his beard as his held the book in one hand. He was so curious about the book that held so much about Severus Snape. His greatest secrets waiting to be unleashed upon the Wizarding World.

And a part of him knew that he would soon have to tell everyone. It was just a matter of when and how. Especially when he would return for the first challenge.

* * *

 **So, what did you guys think?**

 **I really wanted to use _'The Godfather'_ as a way of injecting something new into Severus' story-arc. I think a lot of you can see where I'm going with this. Or where you might think I'm going with it. Lol!**

 **And yes, I am aware that one little scene that happens in the book of _'The Godfather'_ doesn't happen in the movie. For those who know what I'm talking about you should know what scene I mean. I only added it in because I feel that it should have been in the movie, so consider it part of a small change in an alternate timeline where it did make it in there.**

 **Figured it was time to introduce the new characters I've been waiting to introduce for a while. Hope you liked them in the little screen-time they had. There are plans in store for them.**

 **Please leave some reviews in the review section below and if you have any questions you wish to personally ask me, just PM me and I'll respond.**

 **Until next time, I'll see you guys in Chapter 11!**


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